The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has announced that it has allocated funding for a record number of clean energy projects, which will benefit millions of homes across the country.
As part of the government’s drive to deliver clean power by 2030, what has been dubbed the most successful renewables auction to date has supported the delivery of 131 new green infrastructure projects, with major boosts coming in onshore wind as well as solar and tidal energy. Alongside the obvious benefit of delivering clean energy around the country, the funding that has been awarded will also support the creation of new green jobs, which will boost prosperity and employment across a number of different areas.
Secretary of state for Energy Security and Net zero Ed Miliband said:
“We inherited a broken energy policy, including last year’s disastrous auction round which gave us no successful offshore wind projects.
“Today we have now achieved a record-setting round for enough renewable power for 11 million homes, essential to give energy security to families across the country. It is another significant step forward in our mission for clean power by 2030 – bringing Britain energy independence and lower bills for good.
“These results show that together, this government and the energy industry are securing investment into our country. This auction has produced a record number of solar projects, bolstering our mission for a solar revolution, we have powered forward with onshore wind, secured the largest commercial floating offshore wind project in the world and got the offshore industry back on its feet.
“As we accelerate our plan for clean power by 2030 the government will work with the industry on how we can build on this success to ensure we can go even further and faster to deliver the power we need.”
Some of the projects that will benefit from the latest auction round include:
- The largest offshore windfarm project in Europe
- The largest floating offshore wind project in the world
- Six new tidal projects
- A combined 115 solar and onshore wind projects
Michael Shanks, Energy Minister, also commented:
“Securing new wind turbines, solar panels and cutting-edge technologies such as tidal will boost growth, catalyse investment and support good jobs across Great Britain.
“We’ve done this while ensuring value for money for billpayers, delivering the biggest auction round to date at competitive prices, helping turbocharge our mission for energy independence and clean power by 2030.”
All of this work comes as part of the government’s commitment to making the UK into a clean energy superpower, with some of the steps already taken including the launch of Great British Energy, lifting the onshore wind ban in England, and the launch of the Clean Energy Mission Control Centre.
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