Labour's flagship Great British Energy looks set to get involved in local planning disputes in a bid to hurry the country's electricity production towards decarbonisation.
“Supporting local energy generation projects” through “working with local authorities, combined authorities and communities” will be one of the five key functions of the state-owned firm.
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The UK Government’s bid to remove fossil fuels from the power system by 2030 is highly ambitious.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks said it would need the country to double onshore wind, treble solar power and quadruple offshore wind over the next six years.
That will require substantial infrastructure, including pylons and substations.
A recent analysis suggested two-thirds of applications to build renewable energy projects have failed to get through the planning stage over the past five years.
There have been significant protests from local communities in recent months over SSEN’s plans for 500km of new power lines throughout the country.
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While planning is devolved, the remit of GB Energy suggests it could take a hands-on approach to helping projects get across the line.
Details of GB Energy’s core functions were unveiled by the UK Government today, with the legislation underpinning the flagship policy being tabled in the Commons.
As well as the “local power plan,” the other functions include the development of new projects, investment in new projects, building supply chains and Great British Nuclear.
The government says this will involve “exploring how Great British Energy and Great British Nuclear will work together, including considering how Great British Nuclear functions will fit with Great British Energy.”
The government again confirmed that GB Energy’s HQ - to be “backed by £8.3 billion of catalysing investment” - will be in Scotland, but would only say that the exact location would be announced “soon”.
Ministers have also announced a new partnership with the Crown Estate, which owns the seabed out to 12 nautical miles and leases parts of it to wind farm operators.
The Crown Estate estimates the partnership will lead to up to 20-30 gigawatts of new offshore wind developments being leased by 2030, enough to power almost 20 million homes.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “This innovative partnership between Great British Energy and the Crown Estate is an important step toward our mission for clean energy by 2030, and bringing down energy bills for good.
“This agreement will drive up to £60 billion in investment into the sector, turbocharging our country toward energy security, the next generation of skilled jobs, and lowering bills for families and business.”
READ MORE: SNP MSPs divided over location of Labour's GB Energy HQ
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband added: “Great British Energy comes from a simple idea – that the British people should own and benefit from our natural resources.
“The agreement with the Crown Estate will lead to more investment, cleaner power, more energy security, and is a statement of intent that it will be a permanent and transformative institution for our country.”
In a separate Bill, the Crown Estate is set to be given new borrowing powers, confirmed in last week’s King’s Speech, which are designed to help it invest more in preparing its seabeds for offshore wind and other projects.
The UK government also confirmed that they had been in talks with the Scottish Government and Crown Estate Scotland on how GB Energy can “help development and investment in Scotland.”
The Scottish Government’s acting Energy Secretary Gillian Martin said she welcomed the recognition of Scotland’s role in renewable energy.
She said: “In our initial engagements with the UK Government, we have made clear our expectations that GB Energy must deliver real benefits for the people of Scotland and support our ongoing efforts for a just transition and to reach net zero by 2045.
“Whilst there is a great deal of agreement between the two governments on many of the priorities that have been identified, one area where we diverge is on new nuclear power stations.
“We are clear that UK Government’s intended investment in nuclear should instead be used to bolster further renewables.”
David Whitehouse chief executive of Offshore Energies UK said: “We welcome the commitment to create GB Energy in partnership with sectors which are critical to the future success of the UK economy.
“Our members share the ambition to accelerate renewable energy projects and create economic value. GB Energy must be a positive step to bring confidence to the market, unlock further private investment and grow the UK’s supply chain. "
READ MORE: King's Speech: More details emerge on Great British Energy
He added: “We continue to need a fiscal climate that promotes investment in the offshore energy sector to assure a managed transition to clean energy which does not depend on increased imports.
“We’re committed to a partnership between government, industry and our skilled people that is focused on a homegrown energy transition, supporting jobs, growing our world class supply chain and delivering domestic energy security.”
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