പുതിയ ഊർജ്ജ ബിൽ: യുകെയിൽ പുനരുപയോഗ ഊർജ്ജ പദ്ധതികൾക്ക് ഇനി പ്രാദേശിക നിക്ഷേപം നിർബന്ധം

A new energy independence bill for England, Scotland and Wales will herald a change from the existing system of voluntary support

Renewable energy companies will be legally obliged to invest in the British communities where they build projects as ministers seek to boost public support for net zero at a time of fracturing political consensus on tackling climate change.

Communities in England, Scotland and Wales would also be given the right to buy up to 20 per cent of a renewable energy project near them -- up from the current maximum of 5 per cent -- and would also apply to smaller schemes of at least 1MW for the first time.

A new "energy independence bill" will be laid before parliament on Wednesday to set out the measures, which will mark a change from the existing system of voluntary support.

It follows the UK government's announcement last week that its priority was "first and foremost cheaper energy, with clean power key to achieving this" in an apparent scaling back of the "mission" to decarbonise the entire power system by 2030.

According to the latest public attitudes tracker conducted by the business department over the summer, almost eight in 10 people were concerned about climate change, while 51 per cent expected the long-term impact of net zero to be positive. The use of renewable energy was supported by 79 per cent of respondents.

However, both the Conservatives and Reform UK have pledged to scrap the legally binding target of decarbonising the entire economy by 2050, signed into law in 2019 by former Tory prime minister Theresa May. The parties argue that scrapping the net zero target would help bring down energy costs.

Under the measures to be included in the bill, community benefit funds will be mandatory for all schemes over 5MW. Companies will have to strike legally binding agreements with communities, which then get to decide how the money is spent.

At present, some developers fund sports fields or community centres or other infrastructure when they build solar farms or onshore wind farms, but the system is seen by officials as an ad hoc "patchwork approach" to support.

The government will propose that eligible projects must provide a minimum amount of compensation, with £5,000 per megawatt of power a year for wind projects and £700 per megawatt for solar schemes.

That money can go towards projects picked by local leaders, ranging from football pitches to skills training for young people or household grants to tackle fuel poverty.

"Currently, there is a patchwork approach to how communities benefit from hosting renewable energy projects," one official said. "Some receive financial support, while others see little in return, despite hosting the clean power Britain needs to protect households from volatile global fossil fuel markets."

However, officials reassured the industry that further secondary legislation will be needed to implement these measures.

The legislation will also be used to place a new body called Great British Grid, part of Great British Energy, on a statutory footing. GBG will compete with FTSE 100 company National Grid and other network owners to work support the delivery of grid upgrades.

The plan to let communities have a stake in local renewable projects is part of UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham's broader desire to give voters greater control over utilities.

The energy independence bill, announced in the King's Speech in May, comprises a broad mix of energy policies. It is expected to include a legal commitment to Labour's manifesto pledge to end new exploration licences in the North Sea and to ban fracking.

Miatta Fahnbulleh, energy secretary, said the government wanted to make sure local people benefited from projects in their community.

"This means more of the benefits staying in local communities, rather than passing them by," she said. "Because if your community helps power Britain, it should share in the rewards."