RenewableUK has lent its support to Labour’s plans to boost green growth in the UK, if it wins the next General Election.
Ahead of the UK Government setting out its own revised net zero plans on Thursday, the shadow net zero secretary, Ed Miliband, has called on ministers to end the ban on onshore wind farms and step up investment in energy efficiency measures.
He will also set out how the party led by Keir Starmer (pictured) will deliver a multi-billion investment by government and businesses to drive jobs in renewable energy and green industries.
Responding to today’s speech by Miliband, RenewableUK’s Head of Public Affairs Nathan Bennett said: “Ed Miliband is right to say that green technology offers all of us an enormous opportunity to build a new economy for the 21st Century, filled with new investment and jobs.
“The US and EU are tempting renewable energy developers and supply chain companies with financial incentives which simply aren’t being matched by the UK government.
“We need to raise our game if we want to ensure that the billions of pounds of private investment expected in clean energy – and the new factories and jobs underpinning it – come to the UK rather than going to competitor countries.”
Bennett also said that Miliband is right to highlight the key role that investment in ports will play in ensuring the UK builds up its offshore wind supply chain.
“We need to expand our ports so that they can handle the giant offshore wind turbines we’re now installing in UK waters, so his commitment to upgrade port infrastructure by ringfencing £1.8bn for public investment is particularly welcome.
“We also need future auctions for contracts to generate clean power to be more focused on building up British supply chains.”
RenewableUK also welcomes Labour’s commitments to speed up the UK’s planning system and to introduce a net zero mandate for every regulator, focusing particularly on Ofgem, to speed up the pace at which the UK can invest in vital new grid infrastructure.
“This would enable us to connect new projects which currently face years of needless delays, at a time when we should be pulling out all the stops to reach net zero and move towards energy independence,” said Bennett.
Miliband has backed Britain Remade’s Powerbook report which sets out a “credible path” for Britain to be energy secure by 2030.
Sam Richards, founder and campaign director for pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade, said the UK will only be able to wean itself off expensive foreign gas and boost investment in clean domestic energy production if “politicians grasp the nettle” and commit to deliver the necessary planning reform.
“Without doing so, any plan, no matter how ambitious, will fail to deliver,” Richards said.