The UK’s plan to be a clean energy superpower by 2035
By 2035, the UK aims to be a global leader in clean energy industries, driving growth across the country through investment in renewable and clean energy.
In its Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan, published on Monday 23 June, the government said it had identified the frontier clean energy industries in the UK that have the most potential for growth and capitalise on the country’s strengths.
The frontier clean energy industries that will lead the UK’s industrial growth plan include wind, nuclear, fusion, carbon capture, hydrogen, and heat pumps.
The UK will also continue to support the deployment of solar and other energy technologies that are vital to its mission to become a clean energy superpower.
By, 2035, the government hopes for the UK to:
- Be the most attractive place in Europe to invest in clean energy industries;
- Have grown exports in all frontier clean energy industries;
- Have created hundreds of thousands of good quality jobs across the country;
- Have driven higher domestic commercialisation of evolving clean energy technologies;
- Have secured more resilient and robust supply chains.
To realise this goal and achieve the growth promised by these industires, the government aims to at least double its current investment levels across frontier clean energy Industries to over £30 billion per year by 2035.
As part of this plan, Great British Energy will receive an additional £700 million to help build manufacturing facilities for key components for the clean energy solutions like floating offshore platforms, electric cables, and hydrogen infrastructure.
This builds on Great British Energy’s initial £300-million allocation for offshore wind supply chains.
The government also said that its clean energy development plan would create more jobs across the UK as growth improves, noting that jobs in these industries are generally well paid and confer transferrable and valuable skills.
“These are the industries of the future. Industries that the UK is perfectly placed to specialise in. Industries that can create hundreds of thousands of jobs for engineers, technicians, mechanics, and welders in every corner of the country,” said Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.
“We know that our vision has to be delivered working side by side with UK businesses and trade unions.”
“With the best of British industry we share a vision of a stronger, more dynamic economy, fuelled by investment in the technologies of the future, creating good jobs right across the country,” he said.
