[ad_1]
Boris Johnson promises to power every UK household with offshore wind within a decade, and is committed to making the coronavirus pandemic a catalyst for green growth.
In a speech at the Conservative Party virtual conference on Tuesday, he will say that the government will invest in a clean energy future to create “hundreds of thousands, if not millions of jobs” over the next decade.
The prime minister said the UK would “become the world leader in low-cost clean power generation, cheaper than coal and gas,” comparing the UK’s resources in offshore wind to the oil wealth of Arabia. Saudi.
“We believe that in 10 years, offshore wind power will power every home in the country, with our goal increasing from 30 gigawatts to 40 gigawatts,” he will say. “Your kettle, your washing machine, your stove, your heater, your plug-in electric vehicle – they will all get their juice clean and blameless from the breezes that blow around these islands.”
The government has come under fire in recent months for failing to put in place plans for an ecological recovery that would put the UK on track to meet its goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Aside from £ 3bn for home insulation, There were no ecological measures in the Covid-19 recovery plan.
Issue 10 said the pledge was the first step in a 10-point “Rebuild Greener” plan, which the prime minister would establish later in the year and includes new targets and investments in industries, innovation and infrastructure.
The Prime Minister did not mention onshore wind, which is the cheapest form of wind power, but it has been subject to strict planning regulations introduced by David Cameron, which has meant that few onshore turbines have been built in the UK in the last five years. .
Johnson will say that the government will invest £ 160 million in manufacturing the next generation of turbines, including floating windmills capable of delivering 1GW of power by 2030, 15 times more than floating capacity in the rest of the world combined.
Downing Street said the initial investment would quickly create some 2,000 construction jobs and enable the sector to support up to 60,000 jobs directly and indirectly by 2030 in ports, factories and supply chains.
“Far in the deeper waters, we will reap the gusts, and by upgrading infrastructure in places like Teesside and Humber and Scotland and Wales we will increase offshore wind capacity that is already the largest in the world,” Johnson is expected to say.
“As Saudi Arabia is for oil, the UK is for wind, a place of almost limitless resources, but in the case of wind without the carbon emissions and without the damage to the environment.”
In tacit recognition of how wind power has been controversial among conservative grassroots, Johnson said it had been used at key moments in British history.
“I remember how some people used to scoff at wind power 20 years ago and say that it wouldn’t rip the skin off a rice pudding,” he will say. “It was offshore wind power that blew the sails of Drake, Raleigh and Nelson, and propelled this country to commercial greatness.”
Johnson said the target would help the UK meet its target of net zero by 2050, a target that has been criticized by activists as unambitious.
Downing Street said new offshore floating technology would allow for wind farms to be built further offshore in deeper waters, increasing capacity even further where winds are strongest and ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of the next generation of power. clean.
The push for offshore wind was welcomed by green activists, who urged him to go further with his plans by providing incentives for electric vehicles and other low-carbon infrastructure.
Caterina Brandmayr, climate director for the think tank Green Alliance, said: “An ecological recovery is the best way to create jobs everywhere in the UK, lead the world in the fight against climate change and protect our precious natural world. The race is now on for the UK government and business to replicate the offshore wind success story in electric vehicles, smart grid technology and future-proof homes. “
John Sauven, Executive Director of Greenpeace UK, said: “If it takes place, [the commitment] it would help cement the UK’s global leadership in this key technology. But delivering 40 gigawatts of power to the grid by 2030 requires action in this parliament. Now we need to see that the prime minister’s newfound enthusiasm continues to tear down all the barriers facing the offshore wind industry in achieving its ambition.
The UK will chair the next round of UN climate talks, Cop26, which have been delayed from November to next year due to the pandemic.
Later this fall, Johnson is expected to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles, another step in the planned green economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
The decision to end sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 would put the UK ahead of France, which has a 2040 ban pending, and in line with Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands. Norway will introduce a ban in 2025.
It is tentatively scheduled for November and is expected to follow advice set out by the Committee on Climate Change, including supporting the UK’s nascent clean hydrogen industry to help reduce carbon emissions from households and heavy industry.
