Recommendation 19

We welcome the Government’s ambition to accelerate community and locally owned clean energy through the Local Power Plan, delivered jointly with Great British Energy. However, it is disappointing that Scotland is disproportionately disadvantaged from benefitting from the Plan by its current Transmission Impact Assessment thresholds, which restrict opportunities for new community energy projects. It is encouraging that the Government recognises the grid-connection issue is acute in Scotland. However, with the transmission grid effectively fully allocated until 2035, the 53 sector is at a near-standstill. This logjam is at odds with the Government’s renewed ambition to scale up local and community energy and reflects a disconnect between the Local Power Plan’s aspirations and the practical reality in Scotland. We are concerned that Scotland could be effectively excluded from the Plan’s full benefits. (Conclusion, Paragraph 115)