The Orkney Community Planning Partnership (CPP) has today published its policy discussion paper, Unlocking Local Benefit from Renewable Energy in Orkney. The paper sets out a bold vision to ensure that Orkney’s leadership in renewable energy translates into tangible, long-term benefits for local communities.
Orkney generates more clean electricity than it consumes, yet faces challenges such as high fuel poverty and pressure on housing and services. The new paper calls for a fairer share of the value created by renewable developments and proposes practical steps, including:
- Developing Orkney-specific developer principles to secure community benefits.
- Exploring a unified Orkney Community Benefit Fund to target fuel poverty, resilience, and climate adaptation.
- Expanding local and community ownership of renewable assets.
- Embedding Community Wealth Building principles in planning policy.
- Establishing a joint development forum to bring together public sector, industry, and community representatives.
The CPP will now engage widely with partners, developers, and the public to shape these proposals and ensure that Orkney’s energy transition delivers social justice alongside environmental ambition.
The paper can be read here.