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Local authorities pushing green energy projects to receive £3 million in Government funding

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As part of its upcoming Clean Growth Plan, it is thought that the UK Government will extend financial support to a number of cities and local authorities interested in setting up new clean energy initiatives.

A recent report in The Guardian suggests that local leaders championing low-carbon initiatives – such as installing solar panels on social housing, for example – will receive some £3 million in Government funding from autumn onwards as part of a move to push the UK closer towards reaching its binding carbon reduction targets.

It is thought that the Government’s much-anticipated Clean Growth Plan will be released this autumn.

The news, which suggests another win for renewable energy, comes shortly after a landmark report revealed that the subsidised price of wind farms had reached a record low of just £57.50 per megawatt hour (MWh), comparable with the typical MwH cost of nuclear power, which sits at £92.50 for Hinkley Point C, for example.

The upcoming £3 million in low-carbon energy funding follows a push from local authorities who joined forces to form the UK100 last year – a network of local leaders supporting a wider plan for the UK to transition to 100 per cent renewable energy by the year 2050.

The news will no doubt be welcomed by the group which, in a previous UK100 report, raised concerns that the network’s bid to drive a permanent move towards renewable energy would be hampered in terms of a loss of EU funding as the UK presses ahead with Brexit.

Commenting, Claire Perry, the recently-appointed UK Climate Change Minister, 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.

“We want to build on our success and that’s why collaboration across Government, and with people and organisations throughout the country, is vital as we prepare to launch our Clean Growth Strategy.”     

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