UK Prime Minister Underlines Need to Invest in Wind Energy

RenewableUK today welcomed comments by the Prime Minister David Cameron underlining the need to invest in low-carbon technologies such as wind energy.

During his trip to India, which is a major investor in clean energy, the Prime Minister said: ”These new green technologies, whether it is waste recycling, wind power, or nuclear power – because there are no carbon emissions – these are growth items, and green tech jobs are growing faster in our economy than many other parts.”

The Prime Minister is being joined on the trip by the Energy Minister Greg Barker and a delegation of British companies involved in the low-carbon sector, highlighting the diversity of investment opportunities offered by clean technologies.

On the same day, the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg called for increased regional investment in sectors such as offshore wind, saying: “The UK is a world leader in offshore wind – we have more offshore capacity than anywhere else. Those turbines are put up in the North Sea. The gear boxes assembled in Yorkshire. Teesside develop the underwater cabling. Humberside does the maintenance. All helped, of course, by London – a leader in green finance”.

The wind industry alone already employs over 12,000 people in the UK, with the potential for 76,000 new jobs by 2021, attracting billions of pounds of investment benefitting communities across the country. In Huddersfield for example David Brown Gears Systems are servicing drive train components for onshore turbines and manufacturing drive train components for offshore turbines, and in Stockton-on-Tees TAG Energy have invested £20 million in a new factory supplying foundations to the offshore wind sector.

Maf Smith, Deputy Chief Executive of RenewableUK said:

“It’s great to see that support for wind energy remains strong at the very top of Government. The Prime Minister and his Deputy are obviously alert to the enormous economic opportunities wind offers us to transform the UK into a green manufacturing hub.

“With The Energy Bill going through Parliament right now, this is a timely reminder of the need to set the right policy framework for low-carbon investment to flow.”

“The fact the Prime Minister chose to highlight low-carbon technologies in India, which invests so much in clean energy, is a clear sign that he wants the UK to be the number one destination for inward investment in clean-tech such as wind, to generate jobs as well as safeguarding our environment”.

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Press release, February 19, 2013; Image: DONG Energy