13 March 2014 | By Daniel Douglas | Inside Housing
A local authority is setting out a business model to create its own energy supply company.
If the plans go ahead, Nottingham Council will follow in the footsteps of local authorities such as Southampton and Woking. In Southampton, a municipal plant provides electricity for the port and for council buildings. Woking Council owns a company called Thamesway which powers town centre buildings in Woking and in central Milton Keynes.
Another council leading the way with energy innovation is Bristol, which, last year, became the first council to own a wind farm.
If the business model is approved, Nottingham hopes the energy company will start trading in 2015.
Alan Clark, portfolio holder for energy and sustainability at Nottingham, said: ‘The details of how the company will operate are still being worked upon but we intend to start by focusing on households that need the most help.
‘As well as the feasibility study we are undertaking focus groups with Nottingham people to see what they would like from their energy company.’
Every opportunity will be taken to create local jobs to operate the company, the council says.
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