Energy Minister hails soaring success of UK renewables during visit to Glasgow
Energy and Clean Growth Minister praises the innovation powering renewables market
- Renewable energy adding further security to our energy supplies and moving away from reliance on fossils fuels
- Minister meets Scottish energy pioneers who have moved away from dirty fuels of the industrial revolution into clean green energy
The growing success of the renewable industry in meeting the UK’s climate targets will be praised today by Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry in a keynote speech to the All-Energy conference in Glasgow today (3 May 2018).
The renewable industry in Scotland is delivering an impressive 25% of the UK’s total renewable generation capacity. The Minister will also point to the huge potential for Scottish enterprise in delivering clean growth as part if the government’s modern Industrial Strategy Clean Growth Grand Challenge - with 24,000 people already working in the Low Carbon sector.
Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry will say:
From James Watt’s steam engine kicking off the industrial revolution and the opening of the first coal mine, through to offshore wind and marine energy powering homes and businesses in the present day, Scotland has always been at the cutting edge of progress.
The renewables industry has a central role in our modern Industrial Strategy with the global shift towards clean growth providing one of the greatest economic opportunities of our time.
Scotland is home to a future potential of over 4GW of offshore wind across 10 offshore wind farms, with the opportunity to power millions of homes. The world’s first floating offshore windfarm has been developed in Scotland, at Hywind in Aberdeenshire.
Renewable contributions to the UK energy supply have soared in recent months thanks to long term government investment with electricity from clean wind power increasing by 43% between December 2017 and February 2018.
Since 1990, the UK has cut its emissions by over 40% while growing the economy by more than two thirds.
Energy consumers are benefiting too as prices for producing clean energy such as offshore wind continue to drop. Moray East Windfarm in Scotland will deliver power at £57.50 per megawatt hour - a fall of more than half since 2015. The Beatrice offshore wind project is also one of Scotland’s largest private infrastructure projects and will be one of the world’s largest windfarms once it is completed.
These projects are driving a whole new supply chain in Scotland with now 24,000 jobs in the low carbon sector with businesses such as Wick Harbour Trust and Buckie Harbour Trust providing operation and maintenance port facilities to Beatrice project. Petrofac, a British oil and gas services company, providing a range of training services to the Hywind and Dudgeon offshore wind farms and Mariner field in the North Sea.
Event Director, Jonathan Heastie of Reed Exhibitions who own and organise the annual All Energy conference said:
We are delighted to be welcoming the Minister to All-Energy. We are very much looking forward to hearing what Claire Perry will say for, looking to the future, the show aims to reflect both UK and Scottish policy and strategies.
The Minister will also today meet the Scottish Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse MSP to discuss UK energy policy and also meet renewable energy businesses as she visits stalls at the All Energy Conference.
The UK’s modern Industrial Strategy is a long-term plan to build a Britain fit for the future through a stronger, fairer economy. Through this we will help businesses to create better, higher-paying jobs - setting a path for Britain to lead in the high-tech, highly-skilled industries of the future.
As part of this, the Modern Industrial Strategy sets out four Grand Challenges, including Clean Growth - Ensuring the UK is at the forefront of innovation and maximising the advantages for UK industry in the global shift to clean growth.