- The REA responds to today’s remarks by DESNZ SoS Claire Coutinho at the Innovation Zero Conference.
- We welcome the focus on innovation but warn against watering down existing green targets or policies.
In her speech today, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Claire Coutinho, highlighted the importance of innovation in getting to Net Zero but also suggested that Government does not want to be a ‘leviathan of central planning’. In doing so, she appears to intimate that Government may look to go slower on delivery of green energy targets and polices, a position that the REA strongly warns against.
Dr Nina Skorupska CBE, Chief Executive of the REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology) said:
“The REA welcomes the Secretary of State’s focus on innovation. She is right to highlight that the UK has been world leading in developing the technologies required to get to Net Zero. These present new opportunities for growth in the UK and internationally, but only if we maintain a strong commitment to our existing climate polices and targets.
As the energy industry has been saying for many years, if you want to deliver affordable energy security, you need stable and long-term polices against which both innovations can be developed, and investments made. The UK’s climate targets and current polices are key to this. They allow businesses to plan, develop supply chains, build up skills and create jobs, all of which ultimately help reduce prices to the benefit of UK consumers.
Going into an election, industry wants to see a clear vision backed by ambitious policies. This means ensuring that existing commitments are not watered down, while delivering sensible policies that ensure the UK remains an attractive market for investment in our world leading innovative renewable energy sector.