Sustainable Energy Communities NI (SEC NI), established to support a community-led model of energy action in Northern Ireland, has secured Great British Energy funding to support the delivery of its Sustainable Energy Communities Programme. The £20million Great British Energy Fund offers grant funding to aid community organisations across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to test, develop and build community-owned clean energy assets.

The secured funding will support the programme by providing community engagement, awareness raising, capacity building, technical assistance and programme coordination activities. SEC NI will host a series of informal information sessions for interested organisations and communities to learn more about the fund, explore what might be possible for their organisation and ask any questions they may have.

The first sessions will take place on Friday 9 October 10am – 12pm at the Advice NI offices on 6 Purdy’s Lane, Forestview, Belfast, with an online session via Zoom scheduled for Monday 12 October from 7pm-9pm.

Helen Seagrave, Great British Energy Director of Local Market Development said, “Great British Energy is delivering affordable, clean power where it matters. We are delighted to support Sustainable Energy Communities in Northern Ireland. This project aligns with the rollout of our Local Power Plan, putting communities at the heart of the clean energy mission while reducing costs and supporting decarbonisation.”

Speaking about this latest development, Fiona Magee, Advice NI Chief Executive said, “This partnership project, led by Advice NI, was developed in response to the combined pressures of rising energy costs, fuel poverty and climate change while tapping into the potential of meaningful community engagement to shape local energy futures. We aim to empower communities to understand their energy needs, plan for more sustainable energy use, explore local generation and efficiency opportunities, and contribute to wider climate action and fuel poverty objectives.”

Sam Naylor, Head of Local Power Plan Delivery, Great British Energy said, “We are delighted to support the Sustainable Energy Communities project in Northern Ireland. The project clearly aligns with the rollout of our Local Power Plan to empower communities, reduce energy costs, support decarbonisation and help enable a just transition.”

The Sustainable Energy Communities project commenced in April 2024, with funding from The National Lottery Community Fund and was delivered by a coalition of partners consisting of Advice NI as lead partner, alongside Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Co-operative Alternatives, Drumlin Wind Energy Co-operative, NEA NI and NI Community Energy.

Completing the partnership were four pathfinder communities – Ballymacash in Lisburn, led by Ballymacash Sports Academy, South East County Down, led by Dolmens Climate Action Network, the Mount Vernon area in North Belfast led by Inner North Belfast Neighbourhood Renewal and Lisnaskea in Fermanagh, led by The Oak Healthy Living Centre.

Working directly with these four communities, the project engaged over 1,900 people and delivered:

7 Energy Master Plans
150+ Home Energy Assessments
34+ Community Engagements
48 Advice Outreach Clinics
13 Community Champions trained
9 School Visits
4 Study Visits
Capital Project – 78 Solar PV panels producing 50kW peak, a 40kW battery storage system, 4x 22kW EV chargers.

With the funding provided by Great British Energy, the SEC NI team will be able to continue their work with these communities and expand across further communities to continue the success of the Sustainable Energy Communities NI Project.

The project was also supported by an Advisory Group comprising of project partners alongside representatives from the Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Department for Communities, DAERA, the Utility Regulator, NIE Networks, Local Councils and other key stakeholders.

John Bartlett, Head of Research, Atlantic Technological University Sligo spoke on the continued importance of the scheme, “This funding from Great British Energy is a vital enabling contribution to continuing the outstanding and important work of the Advice NI-led Sustainable Energy Communities NI project that has been so effective in establishing a community-led model of energy action, and is having a meaningful impact on people’s lives in NI. This next stage of the development of SEC NI will facilitate the comprehensive roll out and development of the model to become a key part of Northern Ireland’s response to current and future energy and climate challenges. Atlantic Technological University looks forward to continuing to partner in this important work.”

The Local Power Plan, led by Great British Energy in partnership with the UK Government, aims to decentralise energy production and expand community and local clean energy across the UK, including Northern Ireland. The plan provides up to £1 billion in funding, along with hands-on support, improved business models and regulatory reforms to enable local projects to develop at scale. Its core goal is to ensure communities directly benefit from the energy they help produce, fostering community ownership, cohesion and economic benefits.

The SEC NI team are here to support Northern Ireland communities get their fair share of this support.