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Energy & Environment

We're working towards a flexible, reliable and secure energy generation and supply system.

The LEP Energy Strategy reviews current policies and considers the possibilities and funding available for the transition to a low carbon economy.

Energy Strategy & Implementation Plan

The Marches Energy Strategy was officially launched in July 2019. The Strategy, funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), recognises that the way energy is generated and consumed in the UK is changing and the challenges that will need to be faced. The current energy infrastructure is already at capacity in many areas and this presents both a threat to future business and housing development. There is an opportunity to invest in innovation that can overcome these challenges while providing a unique selling point for those in the energy supply chain to invest in the area.

The 10-year energy strategy and implementation plan aims to address many of the issues surrounding energy management in the Marches region.

In order to deliver these goals a Steering Group with representatives from business, communities and the local authorities has been formed. The Steering Group reports regularly on the progress made; updates will be posted here.

At the start of 2021, the LEP Board discussed how it could strengthen its support of The Marches Energy Strategy, particularly with a view to ongoing changes to the energy policy landscape, and support for the delivery of projects to help meeting net-zero challenges and other energy-related issues raised in the Marches. The Board proposed that a LEP Energy Champion be appointed with the role of challenging decisions taken by the LEP to ensure that energy is considered. Gordon Coppock was appointed to the role of Energy Champion in May 2021. The LEP is also supported in the delivery of the Energy Strategy by the Midlands Energy Hub. The Hub publishes a quarterly Newsletter, highlighting new developments across the Midlands.

The Marches Energy Strategy

Midlands Energy Hub

Funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Midlands Energy Hub is one of five local Energy Hubs in England. Each Energy Hub provides Local Enterprise Partnerships, local authorities and others, with practical support to develop local energy projects. For further information about the work of the Midlands Energy Hub, contact:

Tim Yair – Marches Regional Senior Energy Project Officer

tim.yair@marcheslep.org.uk

Marches Energy Fund

In 2022, the Marches LEP allocated £4million of funding to support projects that could meet the priorities set out in the Marches Energy Strategy. This represented a significant investment in energy projects by the LEP and arose in response to a recognition of the need to invest in energy efficiency and generation to help support businesses across the region.

The initial call for potential projects by the LEP received 28 Expressions of Interest, and totalled over £50Million of projects. As the Fund was significantly over-subscribed, the Fund was only able to support 3 proposals, which the LEP felt would help to tackle many of the energy difficulties encountered by businesses in the region:

Marches Network Monitoring to support Community Decarbonisation

National Grid Electricity Distribution will be installing monitoring equipment into 200 Low Voltage substations within the Marches LEP area to help improve the available data and understand capacity constraints within the region in order to help identify opportunities for providing demand side measures.

Marches Network Monitoring

Herefordshire Low Carbon Technology Centre

Herefordshire, Ludlow & North Shropshire College are creating an MCS accredited training centre for low carbon and renewable technology installations at their Holme Lacy Campus. The Centre will be amongst the first nationally to offer the new apprenticeship standard in Low Carbon Heating Technician, and will provide training to the construction industry; developing the skills required to install low-carbon technologies, including retrofit.

Herefordshire Low Carbon Technology Centre

Marches Energy Grant (MEG)

Building on the successes of previous programmes such as the Marches Renewable Energy (MarRE) fund and the Business Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP) grant scheme, the Marches Energy Grant (MEG) will offer free advice, energy assessments and grants for energy efficiency and renewable energy measures to SMEs from all sectors in Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. The funding will also be available to support community buildings. As well as the grant funding, the project will also run related networking and webinar events for SMEs and other organisations.

Marches Energy Grant (MEG)

 

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