The East Midlands Combined County Authority has signed a major new Memorandum of Understanding with Great British Energy, marking a significant step forward in accelerating clean energy development across the region.
The partnership will help unlock investment in renewable energy infrastructure, support community‑owned energy schemes, strengthen UK supply chains, and advance the East Midlands’ ambitions for inclusive economic growth, lower energy bills and climate leadership.
Under the MoU, EMCCA and GBE will work together to:
- Deliver public‑sector and community‑owned clean energy projects
- Expand solar, wind and energy storage opportunities
- Coordinate local energy planning, retrofit, and public estate decarbonisation
- Reduce energy costs for public services and communities
- Align regional sites, skills and planning to attract clean‑tech investment
The collaboration is designed to ensure that GBE’s national mission aligns directly with the priorities of the East Midlands Growth Plan, which positions clean energy as a core driver of productivity, high‑quality jobs and resilient public services.
EMCCA will position the East Midlands as a major regional delivery partner for the Local Power Plan, published jointly by Great British Energy and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
The plan outlines a long‑term vision for local and community energy, backed by the biggest public investment in community energy in UK history. The funding will help communities reduce bills, generate local revenue, and power places of worship, social clubs, community centres and other civic spaces.
Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands, commented:
“This agreement with Great British Energy is a major step forward that consolidates our position as a region at the forefront of the clean energy transition.
“The transition away from polluting fossil fuels will lower energy costs and create good local jobs: the things that matter to our residents and businesses. By working together with Great British Energy, we’re turning our growth ambitions into real projects that deliver for people and places across the East Midlands.”
The partnership also highlights opportunities for the region’s advanced manufacturing, engineering and logistics sectors under GBE’s £1 billion “Energy Engineered in the UK” programme.
This aligns with major growth sites including:
- The East Midlands Investment Zone
- The Trent Supercluster
- The East Midlands Freeport
Together, EMCCA and GBE will work to make the region a preferred destination for clean‑tech supply chain investment, supported by aligned infrastructure, skills and planning.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband also said:
“Britain’s drive for clean energy is about answering the call for a different kind of economy that works for the many, not just the wealthy and powerful in our society. Local and community energy is at the heart of our government’s vision.
“With the biggest ever investment in community energy in Britain’s history, this government is saying to every local community: we want you to be able to own and control clean energy so the profits flow into your community not simply out to the big energy companies.
“By giving local people the chance to take control of their energy, this government is making a fundamental choice to transfer wealth and power back to communities across Britain.”
EMCCA is already progressing delivery against its regional energy objectives, including commitments to:
- Support up to 1GW of public‑sector and community energy projects
- Coordinate retrofit and decarbonisation of public buildings
- Aggregate regional energy demand to unlock major investment
- Reduce energy costs for councils, public services and communities
The MoU provides a framework to scale up these ambitions through new joint ventures and investment pipelines.
The partnership builds on work already underway, including more than £700,000 in GBE grant funding secured by Mayor Claire Ward to support a new solar farm in Derbyshire.
Derbyshire County Council will develop a 3MW solar farm on reclaimed land at the former Williamthorpe Colliery near Chesterfield, due for completion in spring 2026.
The site is expected to:
- Generate 3 million kWh of electricity per year
- Power over 1,100 homes
- Reduce the council’s energy bills by over £100,000 annually
- Save more than £3 million over the project’s lifetime
Both EMCCA and GBE emphasise that the partnership is grounded in shared values: public ownership, community benefit, local delivery and place‑based investment.
Together, they aim to make the East Midlands a national leader in clean energy generation, climate innovation and green job creation, delivering long‑term benefits for people, businesses and public services across the region.
Image credit: iStock
