Local Area Energy Planning

Cambridgeshire is an area of high growth, with significant numbers of new housing, businesses growth and research coming forward over the next decade.

Nationally there is a legal target to achieve net zero by 2050 and a variety of local ambitions. With the move away from fossil fuels, the Plan will need to look at the different types of technologies and fuels needed. This will include the role of electricity from low carbon sources in our day-to-day activities, like heating our homes or driving our cars.

Despite efforts to manage demand on the electricity network, it is anticipated that there will be a doubling of demand by 2050 (compared to 2018 usage levels).

High costs and delays to accessing energy infrastructure (like new electricity grid connections) is already making it harder for projects to go ahead– ranging from major new housing developments through to small businesses installing chargepoints for their workforce or vehicle fleet. Without a plan, this will only get worse.

Our energy infrastructure in Cambridgeshire is managed by UK Power Networks, National Grid and Cadent, who are responsible for maintaining and improving the infrastructure. They make their infrastructure investment plans based upon what the evidence they gather shows is needed in our area. The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is a new national body responsible for the system.

We want to inform these plans to ensure they can deliver what is best and most equitable for our county. A LAEP will help us to do this by providing clear evidence to the DNO (Distribution Network Operator) to support them in their plans.

As well as examining the types of technologies and fuels needed, the LAEP will propose changes and additions to existing energy infrastructure. It will provide a robust evidence base that we can use to influence investment planning. It will strengthen our position and help to ensure that we get the infrastructure our county needs to help secure affordable energy supplies for the future.

We are working in partnership with Cambridge City Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council and the Combined Authority on this project. The project is jointly funded by the partners with the Combined Authority as the main contributor.

The partnership is working closely with UK Power Networks, the local Distribution Network Operator (DNO), who own and maintain electricity cables and lines across the East of England. They are playing an active role in shaping the LAEP to make sure it can inform their future network planning.

We are also collaborating with the Greater South East Net Zero Hub who are a government funded initiative charged with supporting local authorities and other public sector organisations with delivering low carbon energy.

To deliver the more technical aspects of the LAEP we have appointed consultants Mott MacDonald and CAG Consultants, who will be responsible for data analysis, engagement and developing the final LAEP.

Mott MacDonald will be leading development of the LAEP during 2025, supported by stakeholder engagement specialists CAG Consultants. They will undertake mapping and modelling work over the summer, drawing on existing data, stakeholder plans and survey responses.

Work has already begun to understand our current energy system. Over the coming months we will focus on improving our understanding of your plans and ambition to build "future energy scenarios" that we will use to help model different energy infrastructure needs to form the final LAEP.

We are hoping to have a final LAEP by early 2026:

• June/July 2025: raise awareness, gather information, and develop initial modelling
• July/August 2025: explore LAEP options and define possible future scenarios
• September/October 2025: test and refine LAEP scenarios with stakeholders
• End 2025/early 2026: develop final LAEP and share widely

Who will make decisions about the LAEP?

Decisions about the content of the Cambridgeshire LAEP will be taken by the Steering Group, consisting of Cambridgeshire County Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council and Huntingdonshire District Council, Cambridge City Council and the Combined Authority. The Group can draw upon expert views, including from UK Power Networks and the Greater South East Net Zero Hub.

Formal endorsement of the final LAEP will be undertaken via the local authority and Combined Authority political decision processes.

How will implementation of LAEP schemes be funded?

The LAEP development process will provide a high-level overview of the economic and commercial viability of potential energy infrastructure schemes and will indicate the enabling factors that need to be in place to implement the plan. Further work, collaborating with a much wider range of investors and businesses, will be required focusing on scheme implementation.

What do you mean by energy infrastructure?

Energy infrastructure means the network of cables, pipes and sub-stations used to move energy from one place to another.

The electricity infrastructure at the low voltage level, which is what brings the power to our homes and businesses, is owned and managed by the Distribution Network Operator (DNO). In Cambridgeshire this is UK Power Networks (UKPN). UKPN are regulated by Ofgem and put forward investment plans setting out where and when this will expand and improve the energy infrastructure they are responsible for. It is these plans we aim to influence via the LAEP.

What energy technologies will the LAEP consider?

The LAEP will explore the impact a wide range of technologies and ambitions will have, including renewable electricity generation, electric vehicle charging, heat networks, energy efficiency measures, grid flexibility initiatives and - in the longer term - potential hydrogen use (e.g. for high-temperature industrial purposes). The mix of technologies put forward in the LAEP will be informed by local stakeholder inputs.

How detailed will the LAEP be?

The LAEP will be relatively high-level, indicating broad locations where improved energy infrastructure could be most beneficial.

How will my contributions be taken into account?

Your contributions, submitted via the survey or other engagement channels, will be very useful in developing the LAEP. The more complete information is, the more useful and realistic the final LAEP will be. The final LAEP will take into account differing stakeholder perspectives, alongside technical and policy considerations. Final decisions about the LAEP will be taken by the Steering Group.

How does sharing our data or plans actually influence decisions?

LAEPs are evidence-based. We will use your input to model scenarios for how energy demand and supply will change into the future. Your data will enable us to develop these models more accurately, ensuring they are grounded in real world plans and ambitions. The more accurate the data, the more tailored - and useful - the final plan becomes.

We are a community group; what is the benefit to us?

Community groups often have deep insights into local needs and opportunities- such as new neighbourhood solar projects or shared ground-source heat pumps. Through the LAEP, you can highlight these ideas, so they feed into County-wide plans.

My business/organisation is expanding. Can the LAEP help?

Absolutely. By participating, you can let us know about expected changes in demand (for example, new construction, higher power usage, or fleet electrification). This can help ensure that infrastructure investments (like power grid capacity or electric vehicle charging points) are more likely to be ready when you need them— rather than causing delays or expensive upgrades later.

My business/organisation wants to progress its net zero plans, can the LAEP help?

Yes - you can let us know about the changes that you want to make (e.g. renewable energy investments, heat network investments, heat pump and energy storage systems, fuel switching, energy efficiency measures and fleet electrification). This can help to ensure that the infrastructure needed (like capacity on the electricity grid to connect into) is more likely to be ready when you need it — rather than causing significant delays or expensive upgrades later.

Will the information I share be made public?

The published LAEP will present future plans for energy infrastructure at a relatively high level, both geographically and over time. It will not attribute plans or information to specific organisations.

Plans and data submitted by your organisation or business will be stored securely by the LAEP project team. They will remain confidential and used only for the purpose of developing the LAEP, unless you indicate that they can be shared beyond the LAEP project team. Further details about confidentiality are presented in the Local Area Energy Planning Stakeholder Engagement Privacy Notice (opens as PDF).

How will the LAEP interact with Local Planning processes?

The LAEP will be one of the evidence sources that informs Local Plans (and the Spatial Development Strategy in the future). It will not determine planning policy or decisions but will provide one element of evidence to inform decisions about proposals for specific sites, in combination with wider planning-related evidence.

How will the LAEP relate to Regional Energy Strategic Planning?

Regional Energy System Planning (RESP) is a new process being established by Government. It seeks to ensure energy networks are regionally coordinated with the right level of local input into the process. The LAEP can both influence and be influenced by the RESP. The LAEP project team are engaging with the RESP to ensure alignment.

How does the LAEP relate to the proposed Cambridge City Heat Network project?

The City Heat Network is a project led by Cambridge City Council and partners to tackle carbon emissions from gas and oil heating systems in city centre building. Should the project be successful, it will deliver a major shift in energy demand and supply across the city. The LAEP team are working with the City Heat Network to understand their plans so these can be appropriately incorporated into the LAEP alongside plans from other stakeholders.

We note that the City Heat Network and Cambridgeshire LAEP are both undertaking surveys during summer 2025 to inform their projects. While there will be some overlap in the topics covered in the two surveys, the types and granularity of information gathered will differ slightly, so if you are invited to respond to both the LAEP and City Heat Network surveys we would highly encourage you responding to both. We are very grateful for your time in doing this.

How does the LAEP relate to the research undertaken for 'The Infrastructure Gap'?

The LAEP team will use and build on the study undertaken last year by Cambridge Ahead and Anglian Ruskin University (ARU), which culminated in publication of the report ‘The Infrastructure Gap.’ Privacy protections mean that survey responses from ARU research cannot be shared directly with the LAEP team, but the LAEP will be informed by the study’s findings.