From today, local communities in Northern Ireland hoping to develop their own energy projects can access support through a new fund launched by Great British Energy, the UK Government-backed company aiming to establish 1,000 community energy projects across the UK.
The Great British Energy support launched today includes:
The £20 million Community Fund, offers grant funding to help community organisations across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to test, develop and build community-owned clean energy assets. Projects supported by this fund must demonstrate that the community will hold a defined legal and financial interest in the project, and that a defined share of project benefits will be retained for, or delivered to, the local community.
The £5 million Partnerships Grant, a new scheme offering grant funding to help Local Authorities in England and community energy partners accelerate joint clean energy projects that will provide lasting local benefits.
£1.8 million in Great British Energy funding for the Scottish Government to back community energy projects across Scotland, building on more than £10 million provided earlier this year. This will support Scotland’s existing community energy support schemes, under the Scottish Government’s CARES programme.
Great British Energy is also backing organisations that offer crucial advice to local groups on the development of community energy initiatives with up to £2.9 million support for advice services across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
More information about the funding launched today is available here: GBE Community Fund | Great British Energy. The fund offers staged grants, with applications closing on 12th November 2026:
Feasibility: up to £40,000 to assess whether a project idea is viable before committing significant time or money.
Development: up to £100,000 to turn a viable idea into an investment-ready project.
Capital: up to £3 million, or 50% of the total project value, to help construction-ready projects close remaining funding gaps.
Not every project will need to complete every stage. For more information, please contact Community Energy NI (CENI) Contact: tiziana@coopalternatives.coop or GB Energy directly via their website.