Event

Friday, 16^th October 2026

Westminster Transport, Energy and Climate Forum

This conference will focus on next steps for community energy across the UK, as implementation begins on plans for up to £1bn of investment through Great British Energy to increase community involvement in the development and ownership of local energy projects. It takes place following the rollout of GBE’s People’s Power projects, including £30m in initial funding for community-led clean energy and plans to increase opportunities for communities to take ownership stakes in renewable energy developments.

Areas for discussion include funding and support for project development, local supply and access to energy markets, grid connections and energy planning, and approaches to community ownership, local benefit and public participation.

It will bring together key stakeholders and policymakers to discuss implementation of GBE’s Local Power Plan and the practical arrangements needed to give communities across the country opportunities to own and benefit from local energy by 2030. Discussion will draw on the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee’s report on unlocking community energy at scale and the Government’s response, including questions around regulation and delivery arrangements, and the barriers faced by community projects in financing, market access, grid connections, planning and organisational capacity.

Project development, investment & support

Discussion will consider how the Local Power Plan can support a stronger and more investable pipeline of community energy projects, from early development through to financing and delivery.

Overall, areas for discussion include:

• early-stage support: access to development funding – grants and loans – technical assistance
• project capability: legal and commercial expertise – governance – procurement – support for smaller and volunteer-led organisations
• investment models: community shares – shared ownership – combining public, community and private finance
• routes to delivery: the role of GBE – local authorities and delivery partners – moving viable projects towards implementation
• long-term investment: revenue certainty – commercial risk – attracting finance while retaining meaningful community involvement

Regulation, market access & local supply

The place of community-owned generation and local supply within the future energy system will be considered, including options for widening access to electricity and flexibility markets, and enabling communities to realise more value from locally generated power.

Overall, areas for discussion include:

• local supply: options for selling or sharing electricity locally – community supply models – responding to local energy needs
• market access: power purchase agreements – electricity and flexibility markets – other routes to market
• regulatory reform: relevant market-code changes – electricity supply licensing – treatment of smaller and licence-exempt suppliers
• proportionality: regulatory requirements – administrative burdens – market rules for smaller community organisations
• local outcomes: household and community energy costs – resilience – local economic development

Financial sustainability, governance & local benefit

The conference will also assess arrangements for sustaining community energy projects over the longer-term and for determining how ownership, governance and financial benefits are shared between communities and delivery partners.

Overall, areas for discussion include:

• financial sustainability: revenue certainty – operating costs – access to finance over the lifetime of projects
• shared ownership: community stakes in commercial renewable energy projects – ownership models – developing approach to shared-ownership offers
• governance: roles of community organisations – local authorities – developers and other delivery partners
• community benefit: revenue sharing – community funds – lower local energy costs – employment and investment
• accountability & protection: decision-making – representation – consumer safeguards as ownership and delivery models become more complex
• measuring impact: economic and social benefits – resilience – generating capacity and financial performance

Planning, networks & local capacity

Further sessions will consider how planning, network capacity and strategic energy planning affect the ability of community projects to move from development into operation, and the coordination required between local priorities and wider energy-system investment.

Overall, areas for discussion include:

• planning & consenting:
  • approaches to addressing barriers facing community projects – implications of the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025
  • revised NPPF in England and relevant arrangements across the devolved nations
• grid connections: connection delays – network capacity – curtailment – implications of wider connections reform
• strategic planning: Local Area Energy Plans where used – Regional Energy Strategic Plans – the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan
• local capacity: planning capability – technical expertise – delivery capacity within local authorities and community organisations
• coordination: GBE and government – Ofgem and NESO – network operators – local authorities and community organisations
• participation & place: environmental considerations – community engagement – local ownership and visible benefit – public support for energy infrastructure

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Booking arrangements:

To secure your place, please use our online booking form.

Once submitted, this will be taken as a confirmed booking and will be subject to our terms and conditions (including cancellation charges) below.

You can also pay in advance by calling 01344 864796. If an advance card payment is not possible, please let me know and we may be able to make other arrangements.

Fees and options are as follows:

• access to Next steps for community energy in the UK (plus a permanent record of proceedings) is £299 +VAT per delegate
• concessionary rate places for small charities, unfunded individuals and those in similar circumstances are £140 +VAT. Please be sure to apply for this at the time of booking

If you find the charge for places a barrier to attending:

• please let me know as concessionary and complimentary places are made available in certain circumstances
• typical eligibility: individual service users or carers not supported by or part of an organisation, full-time students, unemployed and fully retired people with no paid work, and small charities
• concessions are not offered to businesses, individuals funded by an organisation, or larger charities/not-for-profit companies

Can’t attend on the day? Watch on-demand:

You can pre-order a recording of this conference above or via our website to watch on-demand when it suits you. The digital packs include:

• a full video recording of the conference as it took place, with all presentations, Q&A sessions, and remarks from chairs
• an automated transcript of the conference
• copies of the slides used to accompany speaker presentations (subject to permission)
• access to on-the-day materials, including speaker biographies, attendee lists and the agenda

Fast-track briefing: typically distributed within 1 week following conference	Policy reference: distributed 1-6 months following conference	Research archive: distributed 6 months onwards following conference
Price: £269 +VAT School price: £228.65 +VAT Concessionary price: £126 +VAT	Price: £199 +VAT School price: £169.15 +VAT Concessionary price: £99 +VAT	Price: £99 +VAT School price: £84.15 +VAT Concessionary price: £75 +VAT

Register here: online booking form.