UK Labour party sets out plan to make Britain clean energy superpower

The UK Labour Party’s energy policy proposals, unveiled by party leader Keir Starmer in Edinburgh on Monday, were welcomed by renewable energy industry organisations.

The party promises to make Britain a clean energy superpower with cheaper bills and zero-carbon clean electricity by 2030. The plans include overturning the ban on onshore wind in England, setting up a publicly-owned clean generation company, Great British Energy, to be based in Scotland, and setting up a national wealth fund to invest in gigafactories, clean steel plants and other green infrastructure.

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Labour estimates that the ban on onshore wind has increased bills by GBP 180 (USD 230/EUR 210) per family in England and led to 7 GW of lost capacity since its adoption in 2015.

As previously commented, the plans include a 55-GW offshore wind ambition by 2030 plus 5 GW of floating wind.

“We welcome today’s announcement from Labour that clean energy will be at the heart of their energy plans for the UK, if elected. As Sir Keir makes clear, renewables can deliver cheaper, greener power than any alternatives and must be rolled out at scale as quickly as possible,” said the REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology) chief executive Nina Skorupska.

“We now need to see a greater focus across the full range of renewable technologies, including bioenergy, geothermal and marine, in addition to the welcome commitments on onshore wind and solar,” she added.

RenewableUK’s chief executive Dan McGrail commented: “There are so many benefits to increasing the UK’s renewable energy ambitions, and focusing on areas where the UK has strengths, like offshore wind, tidal stream and green hydrogen.”

He further said that “delivering Labour’s renewable energy ambitions will require considerable reforms to planning, grid development, regulatory frameworks and skills policy,” and added that these issues should be addressed quickly, so clarity on them is welcomed.

(GBP 1 = USD 1.284/EUR 1.171)