Communities could get cash for hosting solar farms and offshore wind schemes
Under Government plans rural and coastal communities could get tens of thousands, or even millions, of pounds a year for clean energy infrastructure.
Communities living near new clean energy schemes could get cash for sports facilities, better transport links and training schemes, the Government has said.
Under the plans, coastal communities who host infrastructure linked to offshore wind farms, and those in rural areas where new solar or wind farms are built, will receive money from energy developers to spend on their local priorities.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said the level of payments could range from tens of thousands of pounds a year up to millions of pounds a year, depending on the size of the development.
The proposals would enshrine in law a requirement for renewable developers to pay into community benefit funds, with local people who are hosting the infrastructure needed to transform the UK’s energy system to clean power able to choose what the money is spent on.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “If you live near an offshore wind or solar farm, your local community should benefit from supporting this nationally critical mission.
“The Prime Minister’s mission to become a clean energy superpower is creating good well-paid jobs in these areas, building the infrastructure we need to get energy bills down for working people.”
He added it would revitalise coastal and rural communities by creating wealth, better facilities and energy security.
The Government has pledged to double onshore wind, triple solar power and quadruple offshore wind by 2030, as part of its plans to make the UK run almost entirely on clean energy by that point, as well as investing in carbon capture and storage, and long-term energy storage.
But while renewable technologies are largely popular with voters, they are often controversial in the local areas where large-scale solar farms, onshore wind or the infrastructure bringing offshore wind power onto land are sited.
The announcement builds on measure in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill where households within 500 metres of new or upgraded pylons and other transmission infrastructure will get electricity bill discounts of up to £2,500 over 10 years.
The Government is inviting views on the plans from industry and others until July 16, including which types of energy infrastructure – such as renewables, low-carbon energy generation and storage – should be required to pay into community benefit funds.
