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Posted 2 years ago | 2 minute read
Sunak commits to transform the UK to a clean energy superpower
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has reaffirmed his and the UK’s commitment to the global green revolution, pledging to make the nation a clean energy superpower.
Speaking at the COP27 in Egypt on 7 November, Sunak said that, in light of the global energy crisis caused in part by the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the UK will work with international allies to go further and faster to transition to renewable energy. Prior to his speech, Sunak stated that he would “ensure the UK is at the forefront of this global movement as a clean energy superpower”.
“When we began our current presidency, just 1/3 of the global economy was signed up to net zero. Today, it is 90% and for our part, the UK, which was the first major economy in the world to legislate for net zero, we will fulfil our ambitious commitment to reduce emissions by at least 68% by 2030”.
He added that “climate security goes hand in hand with energy security” and that the war in Ukraine and rising energy prices across the world are not a reason to go slow on climate change; “they are a reason to act faster. Because diversifying our energy supplies by investing in renewables is precisely the way to insure ourselves against the risks of energy dependency.”
Several renewable generation targets have been outlined in the British Energy Security Strategy released earlier this year. The strategy outlined a new target of up to 24GW of nuclear power by 2050, and up to 50GW of offshore wind by 2030. It additionally highlighted that solar could grow five-fold by 2035.
GridBeyond Managing Director UK and Ireland Mark Davis said:
“Energy security and prices will be pivotal issues for Sunak’s tenure as Prime Minister. But to secure low cost and reliable energy for the future the government must support growth within the clean energy sector.
“Gas and power prices in Britain have risen by over 250% this year, which is putting pressure on bills now. We need to make urgent progress with increasing levels of low-carbon energy generation, but this needs to be balanced with measures to facilitate flexibility and removing barriers for technologies such as long duration energy storage and reforming markets to appropriately reward actions from the demand side”.
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