Energy firms back Starmer’s green growth plan as Labour wins UK landslide

Labour manifesto pledge is to create a ‘clean energy superpower’

The chief executive and founder of Octopus Energy, Greg Jackson, has urged Britain’s new Labour government to “be brave and be fast” in delivering a strong green economy.

Labour under leader Keir Starmer won a landslide victory after a campaign that put green growth as one of the party’s key pillars.

Its pledges included creating a clean power system by 2030 by boosting renewables, setting up Great British Energy as a national entity, and creating a National Wealth Fund to help decarbonise industry.

This morning, Jackson told the BBC: “I think it’s really important that voters backed this idea that we can deliver cheaper, greener energy by investing in it. A stable business environment and a stable political environment will help unleash capital in out sector.”

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He said what Labour needs to do now “is hit the ground running with things like planning reform so that we can build this infrastructure. There’s never a better time to make big changes than right at the beginning. The quicker they make the changes, the quicker we can deploy capital, create jobs, and bring down the cost of energy.”

During the election campaign, energy became a political football, but Jackson said “an attempt to make net zero a culture war hasn’t worked. We know that investment in green energy creates three times more jobs than investment in fossil fuels.”

Labour's crucial 100 days

The call to hit the ground running was echoed by the UK’s Association for Decentralised Energy. Its chief executive Caroline Bragg said “the first 100 days are a critical period which will set the tone for Labour's entire first term in office”.

“The new government’s commitment to a massive acceleration of renewables will protect us from another energy crisis and our members have the answer to making this work in practice – by creating a smarter system that puts money in the pockets of households and businesses.

She added: “As we know, heating is one of the biggest sources of UK emissions. With the mandate now given to the new Labour government, now is the time to move decisively towards a low cost, just path for decarbonising heat.

"Billions of pounds of investment are waiting to invest in zero carbon heat infrastructure across the UK’s cities and towns - all we need is certainty. With decisive action and ambitious targets, we can create hundreds of thousand jobs, drive economic growth and save the UK billions.”

Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive of trade group Energy UK, said: “Energy powers our economy and touches every home and business and its impact on all of these – and all of us – has never been clearer than in recent years.

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“By embracing the challenge of transforming our economy and improving our daily lives through clean, homegrown power and new technologies, this impact can be one that brings more growth, jobs, skills, investment and prosperity to all parts of the UK.”

She said for the Labour government, “the hard work starts now to deliver on this huge opportunity to bring in changes that benefit our economy and our environment and help create a brighter and fairer future for everyone.”

Matthew Clayton, managing director of clean energy investor and operator Thrive Renewables, said: “Labour’s manifesto outlined its plans to put people at the heart of the energy transition and we were particularly pleased to see more support for community energy projects through its Local Power Plan – helping ensure the benefits of renewables are felt locally.”

During its time in power, the Conservative government stalled any further deployment on onshore wind, and Clayton said he was hoping for this block to be “removed in its entirety, levelling the planning playing field with other infrastructure, and ensuring we can harness our abundant wind power”.

“This will go a huge way in helping the UK to achieve its long-term net zero goals, while delivering cheaper, cleaner power for homes and businesses at a time when it is so vitally needed.”

Originally published on powerengineeringint.com