With the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) having kicked off this week in Azerbaijan, UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has reiterated his stance on turning the nation into a “clean energy superpower”.
Delivering on a government manifesto commitment, Starmer has specified that the proposed Clean Industry Bonus will come with a provisional £27 million per GW of offshore wind projects. The government said that this means that if between 7GW and 8GW of offshore wind apply, the budget could go up to £200 million.
With the rise of climate scepticism on the other side of the Atlantic, Sir Keir Starmer has an opportunity to showcase the UK’s leadership in promoting climate action worldwide and become a key player in the Western world’s energy transition.
“Our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower will fire up our industrial heartlands and break down barriers to growth in our hard-working towns and cities,” Starmer said on the COP29 conference.
“By acting decisively and early, the UK has an opportunity to lead the world in the industries of the future — working in partnership with business — creating real energy security, cutting energy bills and building jobs and supply chains in the UK.”
The Labour government has been a staunch defender of climate action since it won the general election in July 2024, and has since launched a plethora of supportive acts to build a foundation for renewable energy growth in the UK.
Alongside the lifting of the de facto onshore wind ban introduced by David Cameron’s Conservative government in 2015, which Josh Cornes, market analyst at Solar Media, believes will prompt an uptick in planning applications, the Labour government has been supporting solar PV generation.
Soon after taking office, Starmer’s government granted development consent orders (DCOs) for three solar-based nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) totalling over 1.3GW. This was an example of the government’s support for the country’s net zero goals and the role utility-scale solar PV could play in this.
Despite the aspirations of turning the UK into a clean energy superpower, in what is regarded as an opposite stance to new US President-elect Donald Trump’s protectionist stance on trade and foreign affairs, Starmer has referenced at COP29 the need for the UK to collaborate on achieving its climate targets.
“We can’t move alone – and at COP I will lead efforts to protect Britain from climate change by also working with other countries to accelerate the global clean transition to tackle the causes at its root,” Starmer said.
Delivering on a government manifesto commitment, the proposed Clean Industry Bonus will come with a provisional £27 million per GW of offshore wind projects. The government said that this means if between 7to8GW of offshore wind apply, the budget could go up to £200 million.
Supply chain support could boost private investment
Jess Ralston, head of energy at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) welcomed the support for the UK’s renewable energy sector, stating that further support for supply chains could attract private investment.
“Boosting supply chains with government cash can help trigger the private sector to invest too, so people can have jobs that last a lifetime in their local communities. The writing is on the wall for fossil fuels and investing in green tech can only bring benefits to the UK,” Ralston said.
The UK’s net zero economy is already worth around £75 billion GVA and grew by 9% last year when the rest of the economy flatlined. With the rest of the world going green, largely following the chaos of the gas crisis, we’re well placed to build on that. Clear signals to the energy industry like this one make the UK an attractive place to invest, bringing benefits like economic growth to regions like the North East.”
RenewableUK chief executive Dan McGrail hailed Keir Starmer’s support for the UK’s offshore wind sector via the Clean Industry Bonus.
“It’s the right time to introduce the Clean Industry Bonus, as offshore wind supply chain companies are actively considering new investments to service the rapidly expanding global market. Growing our industrial capability now will put the UK in a strong position to sell our high-value goods and services abroad in the coming years.”
