Metro mayors are set to benefit from a £10m funding boost from Great British Energy aimed at supporting the delivery of new clean energy projects.
Mayoral strategic authorities in England will be invited to apply for a share of the funding to help them lead clean power projects, including rooftop solar, onshore wind and hydropower.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks said: ‘We’re backing our metro mayors to bid for a share of £10m and work with our new publicly owned company Great British Energy to roll out more clean, homegrown power.
‘This could see profits invested back into vital community services and projects, or even money knocked off community buildings bills, giving local services more pounds in their pockets.’
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham commented: ‘Our Go Neutral programme is delivering millions of pounds of investment in local renewable energy, generating enough to power 5,500 homes, and we’re supporting schools in our city-region to install solar cells and help cut bills.
‘We’re ready to work with Great British Energy to take these plans to the next level, so we can boost local projects that will help bring down costs and power more of our network with homegrown energy.’