Britain wants to rebuild the clean energy supply chain from the ground up and Great British Energy has launched a £1bn plan to do it.
The Energy Engineered in the UK programme is aimed at fixing the component shortages that are slowing offshore wind and grid expansion from blades and turbines to transmission cables and converter stations.
At the heart of the push is a £300m Supply Chain Fund for offshore wind and networks which will help manufacturers expand, build new facilities and remove the bottlenecks that are forcing developers to wait years for critical kit.
GBE says this is about pulling investment into Britain at scale. The programme sits inside the government’s modern Industrial Strategy with a ten year goal to boost investment, create skilled jobs and make the UK one of the best places in the world to build clean energy hardware.
GBE will work with the National Wealth Fund, the Scottish National Infrastructure Bank and The Crown Estate to unlock finance for large manufacturing projects and give investors enough certainty to commit to long term capacity.
A second pillar is deepwater wind. GBE is launching a new commercialisation programme with FLOWEX to secure a UK lead in floating offshore wind which is expected to dominate the next phase of deployment in the North Sea. The programme will map out how to scale foundations, cut costs and give manufacturers predictable demand so factories can operate at full tilt.
GBE CEO Dan McGrail said: “Great British Energy is investing in British industry, we are helping to create jobs, driving innovation and ensuring clean energy infrastructure is built here in the UK. This programme is about more than funding; it will help overcome the current challenges and ensure the benefits of a world class supply chain are felt in communities across the country.”
Energy Minister Michael Shanks said: “We want our clean energy future to be built here in Britain as part of our modern Industrial Strategy. This fund will boost our manufacturing capabilities for offshore wind – supporting jobs and growth in communities across the country.”
With £300m hitting supply chains now and £700m more to follow next year, GBE’s plan signals a clear shift. Britain does not just want to install clean energy. It wants to build it.
GB Energy set out £1bn supply chain pathway appeared first on Energy Live News.