New plan to help power Oxfordshire using local renewable energy

The plans will provide clear, strategic, and community-focused actions for transforming the way local energy such as wind and solar is generated, used, and managed, supporting both local and national climate goals. They will assess how building improvement measures such as insulation and low-carbon heating can reduce reliance upon fossil fuels. At the same time they will improve the quality of information used to plan and deliver the energy we will need from the electricity grid, ensuring homes and businesses can benefit from cleaner, more reliable power in the years to come.

To develop the plans, the authorities will work with local communities and businesses to identify projects that will help manage the transition to cleaner energy. The plans will identify specific actions for each district, together with more strategic projects to be delivered at the county level.

Councillor Andrew Prosser, Executive Member for Climate Action and Nature Recovery at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “The way in which we use and generate energy is changing fundamentally and we need to plan for that at a local level, as well as regionally and nationally.

“This localised approach to renewable power generation will have so many benefits for residents and businesses. Moving away from polluting fossil fuels to modern renewable and clean energy powered systems will not only reduce emissions but will make our power generation more resilient and not so reliable on international markets.

“The Community Action Plan for Zero-carbon Energy (CAPZero) is the first local energy action plan in the UK developed at a community level. Led  by the Low Carbon Hub, the project aims to create a zero-carbon energy system in Eynsham and the surrounding parishes that works for these communities.  We are pleased to support this pilot and look forward to facilitating the expansion of local energy generation to other areas of the district to achieve net zero at pace.”

Councillor Liz Leffman, Chair of the Future Oxfordshire Partnership and Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “It doesn’t make sense to spend energy, and therefore money, transmitting electricity made by burning gas through wires and pylons over miles and miles to people in Shrivenham, for example, when they could use the cheap energy created at a nearby windfarm or excess electricity made on a neighbour’s roof. This is why we need a local area energy plan.

“This project is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when we work together to tackle challenges. The six councils of Oxfordshire are joining forces and working with the community to make a plan for a greener, fairer energy system.”

The LAEPs will also provide more information to energy network providers, enabling them to plan and invest in necessary electricity grid upgrades ahead of demand. This is key to ensuring that Oxfordshire has the energy capacity to meet its future needs, powering homes, businesses, and delivering locally generated renewable energy.

Ove Arup & Partners have been appointed as lead consultants in the development of the LAEPs. These plans will play a critical role in shaping a sustainable future for Oxfordshire, demonstrating how local collaboration can make a significant impact in addressing global challenges.

Stuart Hallett, from Arup, said: “With a renewed focus on transitioning the UK’s energy system to net zero, supported through new functions such as the Regional Energy Strategic Planner (RESP) and access to investment vehicles targeted at decarbonisation interventions, such as Great British Energy and the National Wealth Fund, it is vital that regional scale Local Area Energy Plans are developed and shaped to align with these strategic mechanisms as well as enabling local scale decarbonisation to happen.

“As advocates of a whole-system approach to energy planning at this scale, we are delighted to be working on this industry leading work, supported by our partners Global City Futures and Oxford Brookes University, to deliver a stakeholder led plan, placing people, business and communities at the heart of a cost effective and just transition, whilst enabling network infrastructure investment to be planned effectively.”

ENDS