In the Budget today the Chancellor targeted investment in infrastructure projects as a key path to economic recovery, and talked about the need for low carbon projects to create jobs. In response, RenewableUK has pointed to the huge economic opportunities offered by renewable energy infrastructure projects such as offshore wind.
RenewableUK Director of Policy Dr Gordon Edge pointed to projects like the proposed Siemens offshore wind turbine factory in Hull, which could bring hundreds of jobs and hundreds of millions of investment to that area. “These low-carbon infrastructure projects will help us future-proof our economy and reduce what we have to pay to import expensive fossil fuels. Offshore wind is a proven technology which we have the opportunity to lead the world in and help us win the ‘global race’ that the Chancellor spoke about – it should be a real priority for govt to drive forward in our energy mix. With offshore wind we know what our resource is and what it’ll cost to develop, compared to less proven technologies. We hope that the upcoming offshore industrial strategy will recognise this and bring forward concrete measures to ensure that the maximum economic benefits can accrue to the UK”.
On a day when unemployment went up, it is also important to note the jobs potential in renewables, with Wind, Wave and Tidal technologies on schedule for creating over 88,000 jobs by 2021
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Press release, March 20, 2013; Image: parliament