An Oxfordshire MP has been thanked for his pivotal work in helping set up a new £10 million community energy fund.
The UK government has announced it will open up a new energy fund in autumn which will aim to support the growth of community energy in England over the next two years.
Didcot MP David Johnston, who has long campaigned for investment in community energy, has welcomed the new fund as “a big step forward for the community energy sector”.
The secretary of state for energy security and net zero, MP Grant Shapps, said he was “very grateful” to Mr Johnston for “campaigning for community energy and working with my department to secure this vital fund that puts local communities” at the heart of plans to “boost energy security and grow the economy”.
Our Community Energy Fund will put local communities at the heart of our plans to boost energy security & grow the economy - kickstarting projects that will create local jobs and drive down bills
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) August 13, 2023
Thank you to @david4wantage for your support in working up this vital fund https://t.co/BWuoaBIoNi
The fund will be accessible to urban and rural communities, and applications can be made from early autumn.
Mr Johnston told the Oxford Mail: “The new £10 million fund will help many more community energy projects to develop, and the government’s efforts will hopefully unleash the true power of community energy.
“I'm very grateful to power for people for their campaigning on this, all of the parliamentary colleagues and organisations that supported this effort and to the government for engaging so constructively with us."
The announcement will mean that the former Rural Community Energy Fund is expanded to include renewable energy investment for both rural and urban areas.
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