Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy touts UK’s 'leading role' in low-carbon technology and promises to deliver clean power 'upgrade' for UK energy system
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark has today hailed the UK as a world leader low-carbon technologies, hinting the green economy is set to play a key role in the government's hotly anticipated Industrial Strategy.
In his speech to the Conservative Party Conference today in Birmingham, Clark praised the UK's prowess for developing low-carbon energy systems that "lead the world" and promised to press ahead with decarbonising the UK economy.
"Our global leadership in combatting climate change, which we will maintain and take forward, presents us with a massive opportunity to enjoy industrial success," he told delegates.
Hinting that low-carbon technologies such as offshore wind will play a crucial part in the government's industrial strategy currently under development, Clark picked out Siemens chief executive Jurgen Maier from the audience, praising the firm's "fantastic investment" in Hull and the Humber, which he said is creating "jobs galore" thanks to the UK's leadership in the renewable energy sector.
However, he suggested more must be done to accelerate the decarbonisation of the energy system, calling for an "upgrade" to UK infrastructure and power systems to make them cleaner and more reliable.
"We have low-carbon energy systems that lead the world, but also a failure of successive governments to replace our ageing power stations," he said.
"I believe that it's time for this country to have an upgrade," he continued. "An upgrade in our infrastructure. An upgrade in the resilience and cleanness of our energy supplies. An upgrade in education and training. An upgrade in the development and regeneration of our towns and cities. Upwards to a country that invests, upwards to a country of opportunity and enterprise, upwards to an economy that works for everyone."
Later today the Chancellor Philip Hammond will address the audience, where green businesses will be on the lookout for some further detail on the government's plans for its industrial strategy and more information on his plans for increased infrastructure investment, which were trailed this morning.
Some green business leaders are increasingly keen to see greater clarity on the government's upcoming decarbonisation and energy policy plans.
"The Business, Energy and Industry Secretary's speech was a sweeping glorification of innovation and industrial strategy but woefully short of specific policy," said Liam Kavanagh, founder and CEO of renewable energy investor Rockfire Capital.
"Apart from a nod to the recent ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and a mention of an 'upgrade in clean energy supplies', no mention was made of energy policy whatsoever. How are we supposed to ensure that our infrastructure and cities are fit for the future if we don't have more explicit support for innovative energy developments such as storage, interconnection and of course generation from renewable sources?"
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