Rishi ramps up drive for more offshore windfarms
BRITAIN has joined an organisation pledging to boost offshore wind production to tackle the climate crisis.
Rishi Sunak has committed to link up with the Global Offshore Wind Alliance, which was highlighted at this week’s COP27 summit in Sharm elSheikh, in Egypt.
The UK is partnered with Belgium, Colombia, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway and the US in the scheme.
Mr Sunak said: “Offshore wind is the thing we are focusing on, along with nuclear, and we are now a world leader in offshore wind.
“It is providing cheap forms of electricity and energy for households up and down the country and, alongside nuclear, that is how we will transition to a cleaner grid.”
Dan McGrail, chief executive of trade association RenewableUK, said the Government’s decision to join the group represented a “major vote of confidence” in the UK’s “world class” offshore wind sector.
He said: “Offshore wind is cutting bills for British consumers and reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, so the challenge for the UK, and countries around the world, is scaling up this technology as quickly as we can in the face of global energy and climate crises.” The Prime Minister, who returned from Egypt earlier this week, yesterday faced accusations he was “keeping the dinosaurs on his backbenches happy” by maintaining a ban on onshore wind farms.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey welcomed Mr Sunak’s commitments at COP27 but told the Commons: “I am alarmed that at home the PM has banned onshore wind, one of the cheapest and most popular forms of renewable energy.”
Mr Sunak said onshore wind was the focus. He added it was “pie in the sky” to pretend fossil fuels will not be part of the UK’s energy mix as it transitions to low-carbon sources. He also said the war in Ukraine should catalyse global efforts to tackle climate change.