Campaign groups, think tanks and businesses have criticised the Conservative manifesto for lacking ambition to boost renewables and grow the net zero economy.
In the next Parliament the Conservative party has committed to trebling offshore wind capacity, in doing so supporting the development of “vibrant industrial clusters” in places like the North East of England, Scotland and Wales.
Regarding onshore wind the manifesto will ensure democratic consent for onshore wind, “striking the right balance between energy security and the views of their local communities”, while updated National Planning Policy Framework seeks to ensure local areas that host onshore wind directly benefit, including potentially through energy bill discounts.
The manifesto reiterates planning rules are being changed to protect the best agricultural land, to make it easier for solar to be located on brownfield sites and on rooftops, while also preventing multiple solar farms being clustered in one area to help protect rural landscapes.
Frank Gordon, Director of Policy, REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology), said overall the manifesto lacks ambition and “continues the PM’s divisive tone on tackling Net Zero, which is not helpful for the sector”.
He added: “A possible concern is the commitment ‘not to introduce any new green levies’ and reduce existing ones, which calls into question how they will fund Net Zero and the expansion of offshore wind and the networks they commit to elsewhere in the same document.
“We do not recognise the characterisation in places of Net Zero as a burden to the economy and households.
“Rather we highlight this Government’s previous approach that recognised energy security and Net Zero as two sides of the same coin within their plans for Powering Up Britain.”
Mike Childs, head of policy at Friends of the Earth, said: “The Conservatives are attempting the impossible by pledging to maintain global leadership on climate change while walking backwards on the measures needed to reduce carbon emissions.
“This manifesto falls so far short of what’s needed it reads like the party has given-up on the long-held conservative value of protecting the environment for future generations.”
FoE stated the manifesto wants to “accelerate the roll out of renewable energy while continuing a de-facto block on onshore wind in England, as well as being negative towards solar farm developments”.
Ed Matthew, Campaigns Director at the independent climate and energy think tank E3G, said: “The manifesto is utterly devoid of new pledges to supercharge the net zero economy and is the most unambitious on climate action yet.
“Rishi Sunak has turned his nose up at the economic opportunity of the century.
“This failure will keep households hooked on high-cost oil and gas and undermine our energy security.
“It is a manifesto for economic decline.”
Daniel Sarefjord, Aira UK CEO, said that although there is a commitment to invest £6bn billion in home efficiency, the manifesto’s energy section “contains around half a dozen references to gas, granting more gas exploration licenses and building gas-fired power stations, suggesting to clean technology investors that we shouldn’t expect a dramatic reduction in the UK’s fossil fuel dependency any time soon”.