Today’s speech by the UK Energy Secretary Amber Rudd which has set out the Government’s future direction for energy policy has given offshore wind developers confidence to make further investments in the British economy, according to RenewableUK’s Deputy Chief Executive Maf Smith.
According to Smith, the industry needed ”clear signals from Government on energy policy to enable the long-term investment in the clean energy infrastructure.”
Commenting on Rudd’s announcement that the government plans to offer three offshore wind auctions by 2020, but under a proviso that the costs are reduced, Smith said that ” the industry has already shown it can rise to the challenge of reducing costs and offshore wind companies are confident they will be cost competitive with new gas and new nuclear by 2025.”
”It’s vital that we have a broad energy mix, and that means ensuring we utilise all our renewable energy resources. Wind power provided almost 10% of the UK’s electricity last year, and that is set to double by 2020. We’re a windy country and we shouldn’t turn our back on this great resource,” Smith said.