East Midlands signs energy deal with govt-backed firm
Plans to turn the East Midlands into a hub for the UK’s clean energy generation took a step forward this week, after regional Mayor Claire Ward signed off on a deal with Great British Energy.
The Memorandum of Understanding signed between the East Midlands combined authority and the government-backed GBE sets out a “shared commitment” to unlock investment in clean energy infrastructure, expand community-owned power projects, and strengthen UK supply chains.
Ward says the move is part of plans to position the region as a regional partner for the Local Power Plan, a long-term vision for energy projects across the UK, which has now been published by GBE and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
“This agreement with GBE is a major step forward that consolidates our position as a region at the forefront of the clean energy transition,” she said.
“The transition away from polluting fossil fuels will lower costs and create good local jobs: the things that matter to our residents and businesses. By working together with GBE, we’re turning our growth ambitions into real projects that deliver for people and places across the East Midlands.”
Government-owned GBE was set up by the incoming Labour government last year, an energy investment firm backed with a reported £8bn of funds designed to turn the UK into a global leader for clean energy generation.
The firm’s mandate is to team up with private-sector firms to develop wind, solar and marine energy generation projects, with sister-company Great British Energy Nuclear focussed on small nuclear reactor schemes.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the government’s drive for clean energy was “about answering the call for a different kind of economy that works for the many, not just the wealthy and powerful in our society.”
“Local and community energy is at the heart of our government’s vision,” he said.
“With the biggest ever investment in community energy in Britain’s history, this government is saying to every local community: we want you to be able to own and control clean energy so the profits flow into your community not simply out to the big companies.
“By giving local people the chance to take control of their energy, this government is making a fundamental choice to transfer wealth and power back to communities across Britain.”
