MP backing community energy Bill
East Kilbride’s MP has given her backing to a breakthrough law which aims to empower community-run energy schemes.
Dr Lisa Cameron – the MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow, is supporting a proposed new law, known as the Local Electricity Bill.
If made law, communities in Scotland and across the UK could buy their electricity from community-owned renewable energy projects, helping to reduce the UK’s dependency on volatile gas supplies and keeping profits from electricity bills in the local area.
A total of 305 MPs – nearly a majority of the House of Commons – have now put their name to the Bill.
Ms Cameron said:“I am pleased to support the Local Electricity Bill which will enable local people to buy their electricity from community-owned renewable energy projects, helping to strengthen the local economy.
“The Bill will also help accelerate our transition to clean energy, which is critical in avoiding the potential economic and ecological devastation of climate change.
“I will do all I can to ensure it becomes law.”
This year the group campaigning for the change, Power for People, met with the Energy Minister and his officials following a well-attended debate shining a light on community energy’s huge potential.
They have since published a new proposal outlining how their transformative idea could work in practice, including modifying existing policy and regulatory interventions that have resulted in minimal growth in community energy since 2014.
This proposal attempts to address the government’s concerns around potential unintended consequences of empowering communityrun energy schemes to sell their power directly to local customers.