Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to increase the production of electricity through community wind projects.

The Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government leads on, encourages local authorities and neighbourhood planning bodies to set out positive policies to support community-led initiatives for renewable and low carbon energy. The NPPF also encourages authorities to identify opportunities where developments can draw their energy supply from decentralised, renewable or low carbon energy supply systems.

We are working with delivery partners to consider how communities wanting renewable projects can be best supported to deliver these cost-effectively. Community wind projects can be supported through the Feed In Tariff (FIT). We have reintroduced FIT pre-accreditation, including an extra six months’ validity period for community energy projects. Additionally the Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF) provides support to community groups in rural areas for development and implementation of energy projects, including wind. RCEF is jointly funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and is managed on behalf of Government by DEFRA.