UK to give £3 million to local authorities for clean energy projects

According reports from the Guardian, during this fall, the UK Government will offer more than £3 million to support local authorities to set up clean energy initiatives.

The initiative will be part of the Government’s strategy to meet its carbon targets, namely the highly anticipated Clean Growth Plan.

Local authorities have been warning that despite the fact that they are willing to build clean energy projects and incorporate renewable energy into the cities’ infrastructure, they lack funding sources.

Last year, local authorities established the UK100, a network of local government leaders which supports decision makers in the UK to go through the transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050.

Judith Blake, the Leader of Leeds City Council had said: “We believe the UK has a great opportunity to lead the world in an early shift to a fossil-fuel-free economy, just as we have led the world in previous industrial transitions”.

However, in a recently published report from the UK100, the network said that it is lacking technical expertise to access finance, and the situation will get more difficult with EU funds being cut off in the light of Brexit.

The report was published by the engineering firm Arup, and the recently privatised Green Investment Bank, and called the UK Ministers to create Clean Energy Action Partnerships between national and local government.

Said partnerships would comprise experts supporting local council who want to set up local low-carbon energy projects, such as heat networks or solar installations in public buildings.

Claire Perry, the newly appointed UK Climate Change Minister has said that the new Clean Growth Plan will be released this autumn.

Mrs Perry had said: "My intention is to publish the Clean Growth Plan when Parliament returns from the summer recess, and I look forward to cross-party discussion and hopefully consensus on a hugely important document, both for Britain's domestic future and our international leadership”.

Under the Climate Change Act, the UK is legally-bound to reduce its carbon emissions by 57 percent by 2032, compared to 1990, and by at least 80 percent by 2050.