Thank you for contacting me about the Local Electricity Bill.
Two years ago, the Local Electricity Bill came before Parliament but failed to secure a second reading. The Bill provided the opportunity to connect local power sources into the national grid. Effectively, it would have allowed us to help lower the price of electricity by providing other sources that complement the mainstream provisions. Not only does this bill need to be reintroduced, but we must now consider it as standard practice that any commercial building or unit developed from now on must come with space for renewable sources of power. From warehouses to gyms to supermarkets, there is plenty of space for us to use, which has the added benefit of keeping our greenfield sites green.
It would be welcome to see this Bill return and for communities to be able to explore how they can produce and supply their own local electricity. Given the variable renewable sources we have to hand, we could easily find a mixture of solar, wind and tidal to help power our communities.