To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what consideration he has given to utilising the powers laid out in Section 6 of the 2015 Infrastructure Act to allow (a) communities and (b) groups connected with a community the right to buy a stake in (i) onshore and (ii) offshore renewable energy projects (A) in and (B) adjacent to the community.

The Government recognises that communities hosting energy infrastructure play a vital role in delivering a clean, secure and affordable energy system. Through the Clean Power Action Plan, we are committed to ensuring communities benefit from low carbon energy infrastructure and the Government has set out its ambition that there should be much more energy infrastructure owned by communities directly.

On 21 May, we published a working paper on community benefits and shared ownership of low carbon energy infrastructure. The working paper sought evidence on current shared ownership practices in the UK and whether introducing a legal requirement to offer shared ownership using powers in Section 38 Part 6 of the Infrastructure Act 2015 is appropriate. We are currently reviewing responses.