6th August 2024
The new Labour government have now been in power for a month, following their landslide victory on the 4th of July. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has wasted no time in pushing plans forward to their policy goal of clean energy by 2030. Here’s the story so far:
Record-breaking funding for clean energy in Britain
On Wednesday (31st of July) Miliband announced that the budget for this year’s renewable energy auction is being increased by £500 million to over £1.5 billion, including £1.1 billion for offshore wind. This record-breaking budget should help to build new green infrastructure as part of Labour’s goal to deliver clean power by 2030. Miliband commented: “Last year’s auction round was a catastrophe, with zero offshore wind secured, and delaying our move away from expensive fossil fuels to energy independence. Instead, we are backing industry to build in Britain, with this year’s auction getting its biggest budget yet.”
Lifting the De Facto Ban on New Onshore Wind Turbines in England
Onshore wind turbines have faced significant resistance in England, with rigorous planning regulations making it challenging to develop new projects. The previous “de facto ban” refers to these restrictive planning policies rather than an outright legal prohibition. The new government is easing these restrictions, making it in theory easier to get approval for new onshore wind projects.
Planning law have been perceived by many as being too stringent, often delaying or preventing the development of infrastructure projects, including renewable energy installations. By relaxing these laws and investing to increase resources within local authority planning teams; the government aims to streamline the approval process, reducing bureaucratic hurdles and accelerating the transition to cleaner energy sources. A particular test of the government’s resolve could be the debate about how and where to deliver the extensive onshore infrastructure required to connect new offshore wind capacity to the grid.
Dropping the Legal Defence of a Proposed New Coalmine
In December 2022, planning permission was given to develop a new coalmine in Cumbria. It has faced significant opposition from environmental groups and the public due to concerns about its impact on carbon emissions and climate change. On the 11th of July, the government decided to not defend the coalmine in the face of further legal challenge, effectively halting its development. Instead, they have informed the court that the decision to grant planning permission should be quashed. This decision aligns with broader goals to move away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy sources.
Ed Miliband’s Role and the Energy Farm Controversy
Possibly the most striking example of Energy Security and Net-Zero Secretary Ed Miliband’s intent has seen him granting construction consent for Low Carbon’s Gate Burton Energy Park in Lincolnshire, Sunnica Energy Farm on the Suffolk/Cambridgeshire border, and Mallard Pass Solar Farm, which spans both sides of the East Coast Mainline in Lincolnshire and Rutland. Sunnica and Gate Burton will each have a capacity of 500 megawatts (MW), while Mallard Pass will have a capacity of 350MW. The decision has drawn considerable criticism from Conservative MP and other local stakeholders, who have concerns about the local impact of the project, such as land use, visual impact and broader local environmental considerations.
What next?
The focus in the early weeks of the government has been on the decarbonisation of the grid through accelerating renewable projects and enabling the necessary infrastructure to connect those projects to the grid. There has been less activity to date focused around incentivising or challenging organisations to further accelerate their own net zero transition plans. It would seem likely that Rachel Reeves’ planned budget on the 30th October will be the next key date to judge whether the government’s rhetoric is matched by action
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