Only 20 councils have drawn up local energy plans

Only 20 councils have so far established local area energy plans (LAEPs), SSE has told MPs.

LAEPs are spatial plans, which are designed to enable authorities to tailor whole system energy transitions strategies around local needs and priorities.

They should help councils identify the potential locations for local renewables and other low carbon technologies, including flexibility and smart energy systems, the concept’s advocates say.

In SSE’s response to the House of Commons energy security and net zero committee’s inquiry into Heating our Homes, it says that only 20 councils across England and Wales have established LAEPs so far.

SSE has helped a number of local authorities, including in Dundee and Oxfordshire, to design LAEPs.

The company, which operates the district networks in Scotland and southern England, says limited take-up of LAEP may indicate issues for authorities around “timeframes, resourcing and skills alongside adequate data access”.

However in its response to the committee’s inquiry, the Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) says “momentum around LAEP is growing” with 64 councils having undertaken or or currently undertaking such exercises, up from 15 at the end of 2021.

In addition, it says the Welsh Government is providing funding for all local authority area in Wales to develop LAEPs, which will be aggregated into a National Energy Plan by 2024.

To spur uptake of LAEPs across  England, the ESC calls for them to be made mandatory for all local authorities.

In addition, it recommends that the government should embed the local energy blueprints in the England-wide National Planning Policy Framework and provide funding for councils to carry out the initial steps of preparing LAEPs.

The ESC, which developed the LAEP concept, estimates that they could deliver whole system cost savings of £252 billion across the period 2025-50 when compared to the existing, uncoordinated approach.

The Scottish Government requires a Local Energy Efficiency and Heat Strategy, which is narrower in scope than a LAEP but provides the building blocks for whole system planning, in every local authority area.

In its response, council umbrella body Local Government Association, says that beside LAEPs, authorities are also likely to take on the new role of Heat Network Zone Coordinator, created by the recently enacted Energy Act.