Which organisations can bid for grant funding from the Mayoral Renewables Fund?
The Mayoral Renewables Fund is open to bids from Mayoral Strategic Authorities in:
- West Yorkshire;
- Greater Manchester;
- North-East;
- North Yorkshire;
- Tees Valley;
- Liverpool City Region;
- West Midlands;
- East Midlands;
- South Yorkshire;
- Greater London Authority;
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough;
- West of England;
- Greater Lincolnshire; and
- Hull and East Yorkshire.
Therefore, the Fund is open to existing Mayoral Combined Authorities, but also to the two combined authorities (Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority and Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority) that will elect Mayors for the first time on 1 May 2025.
What kinds of projects are eligible for funding?
The guidance states funding will be made "available to projects that focus on renewable power generation. While some energy storage/flexibility technologies (such as batteries, EV charging) may be funded if they are present alongside a form of power generation, the majority of allocated funds for each project must be spent on renewable generation".
Therefore, the grant funding will support the installation of technologies such as solar, wind, hydropower, batteries, microgrids and EV infrastructure. Great British Energy will consider other interventions which can be shown to align with the aims of the fund.
Projects must be located on publicly owned or leased non-domestic properties within the relevant Mayoral region. Projects must defray all costs by 31st March 2026. As a competed fund, not all applications will be successful. Instead, applicants will need to make the case for their projects receiving support.
What timelines apply?
Bids for the £10m Mayoral Renewables Fund must be received by Great British Energy by 22 April 2025, with the successful bidders informed on 9 May 2025.
Which organisation will be responsible for Subsidy Control compliance in Mayoral Renewables Fund projects?
The Mayoral Renewables Fund awards will be conditional upon the relevant Mayoral Combined Authority setting out how Subsidy Control risk will be managed.
The guidance states that "if a proposed project would involve or facilitate the applicant engaging in economic activity that entails offering goods (including electricity) or services on a market, no grant award will be made without a review of the subsidy control position and, where appropriate, the successful completion of relevant subsidy control processes".
Therefore Mayoral Combined Authorities will need to assess whether the proposal will give rise to subsidy (for example, adding solar panels to reduce the energy costs of a leisure centre would be expected to give rise to a subsidy). If a subsidy is present, the Mayoral Combined Authority will have to consider the best way to manage this (for example, Minimal Financial Assistance or through the Subsidy Control Principles).
Conclusion
The Mayoral Renewables Fund is a good opportunity for Mayoral Combined Authorities to win additional public funding for projects in their localities. As a competed fund, it will be necessary to set out the benefits of the proposed intervention in an application and to submit this to Great British Energy by 22 April 2025, noting that any award will be conditional upon demonstrating Subsidy Control compliance.
DWF Law LLP is a global legal services provider with an exceptional reputation for advising upon public funding matters, including advising upon complex Subsidy Control matters and making referrals to the Subsidy Advice Unit. Please feel free to contact us, if it would be helpful to discuss the issues raised in this article. DWF has offices in Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Newcastle.
