Building more renewables to reach net zero must drive growth and stimulate investment and innovation, UK BEIS Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has stated.
In a Guardian editorial, the Tory MP said getting British people “on board” with net zero “requires us to demonstrate that we can go green in a way that makes them better off, not worse off”.
He said it must drive growth instead of hindering it and stimulate investment and innovation “rather than driving traditional industries to the brink of ruin”.
In the piece Rees-Mogg said he’s also in favour of reinforcing the grid and is “committed to significantly reducing timelines” for building new network infrastructure to support renewables expansion, adding: “But in exchange for the unprecedented support that is being offered to renewable energy companies, they must charge consumers and taxpayers a fair price for the energy they produce.”
Rees-Mogg noted the success of the Contracts for Difference scheme, which has grown to support a “bountiful range” of renewable energy sources all while bringing down costs and growing the economy.
“The drive to produce up to 50GW of offshore wind by 2030 means that this sector alone should grow to support 90,000 jobs,” he added, while also acknowledging that the CfD scheme has “successfully overcome” demands for upfront capital and settled uncertainties for generators navigating volatile wholesale prices, spurring “£90bn of investment in renewables since 2012”.
“By separating the price of renewable energy from the most expensive form of production, which today is gas, and moving these companies on to Contracts for Difference, the government is providing the renewables sector with long-term stability and a sensible price that is fair to the industry and consumers alike,” he said.
Rees-Mogg said Liz Truss’s Conservative Government’s recently announced growth plan will “accelerate the delivery” of major infrastructure projects, including onshore and offshore wind farms and will also “boost the UK’s nascent hydrogen industry, which will work in harmony with the renewables and gas sectors alike”.
He added that the government will also align onshore wind planning policy with other infrastructure to allow it to be deployed more easily in England.
“We understand the strength of feeling that some people have about the impact of wind turbines in England.
“The plans will maintain local communities’ ability to contribute to proposals, including developing local partnerships for communities that wish to see new onshore wind infrastructure in return for benefits such as lower energy bills.”