Britain’s transition to renewable energy is the “economic justice, energy security and national security fight of our time”, Ed Miliband has said, as he pledged to “take on the blockers”.
The energy security and net zero secretary told Energy UK’s annual conference in London that fossil fuel “dependence” continued to leave the UK “deeply vulnerable as a country”.
Miliband, who is spearheading the government’s manifesto pledge to set up publicly-owned firm GB Energy, said: “The government’s view is that we simply can’t go on like this.”
The cabinet minister argued that as long as the UK is “stuck on the rollercoaster of volatile international markets” the country “simply won’t have control of our energy bills”.
However, “cheap, clean” renewable energy will help “offer us price stability”, he added.
The Labour MP for Doncaster pledged to “take on the blockers, the delayers, the obstructionists” to build the clean energy infrastructure he said the country needed.
Energy bills expected to rise by almost £150
It comes as the government is consulting on planning system reform to smooth the way for National Grid upgrades and new clean energy projects.
“Previous governments have ducked, dithered and delayed these difficult decisions,” Miliband said, adding that: “The faster we go, the more secure we become.
“Every wind turbine we put up, every solar panel we install, every piece of grid we construct helps protect families from future energy shocks,” he said.
And the energy secretary stressed that people living near new infrastructure should benefit from it, stating: “I think that’s a fair deal to make with people.”
His speech came just weeks before average household energy bills are expected to rise by £149 from October, after Ofgem increased the quarterly price cap for the winter months.
UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF) CEO James Alexander said while transitioning away from fossil fuels was a “vital opportunity to attract private capital to grow the economy”, the UK’s grid capacity represented a “major barrier”.
He stressed: “Almost half (44 per cent) of energy companies have faced challenges securing a grid connection when investing here.
“Resolving this, streamlining planning and providing long-term certainty on government support mechanisms could unlock £115bn in additional, private investment into the UK’s transition, creating high-skill jobs, lowering energy bills, and boosting energy security.”
While Sam Richards, CEO of pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade, said while Labour had “taken important steps” to speed up building, the government “has more to do”.
He added: “Our sclerotic planning system means it can take up to 13 years to build a new offshore wind farm, despite actual construction of the turbines only taking two years.
“Anything that can slash the time it takes to build more offshore wind farms is welcome news.
“Work needs to be done to streamline environmental impact assessments and tackling baseless judicial reviews. It is things like these that add a huge amount of time and cost to building any kind of infrastructure in Britain.”