8 January 2015
MP for Waveney Peter Aldous has highlighted the need for certainty and a long-term vision for the offshore wind industry.
 
In a Westminster Hall debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday 6th January, Peter emphasised the industry’s positive  impact on creating jobs and its role as part of a secure mix of energy technologies as major reasons to support offshore wind energy, although only with the right Government framework can the industry thrive and realize its full potential. There is the opportunity to significantly increase the number of jobs across the country from the current 13,000 to more than 44,000 by 2023.
 
Peter said that the “UK remains on track to be the most important market in the global offshore wind sector, with more capacity installed than any other country and with the largest volumes projected by 2020” due to Government initiatives that have been put in place since 2010 which provide the framework for a sustainable future for the industry. These include:-
  • The right emphasis has been placed on maximising the UK content in contracts to ensure that jobs are not exported;
  • A planning regime for offshore wind has been put in place, which works efficiently and fairly, provided that developers are proactive and engage with local communities;
  • Local supply chain initiatives have been pursued to help local communities get the most from offshore wind opportunities. For example, Lowestoft and Yarmouth now has an enterprise zone and assisted area status, and the two ports have been designated centres for offshore renewable engineering.
  • Electricity Market Reform and the Contracts for Difference regime de-risks investment in asset ownership, competitive allocation drives cost reduction and costs are capped through the Levy Control Framework.
Peter called on the Government to build on these initiatives and provide greater certainty and a long-term vision by publishing details of future timings and budgets of offshore wind projects so as to give the industry a clearer picture of its potential long-term size and where the Government sees it going. The focus of his speech was on the need for the Government to adopt long-term plans, which affect the cost-efficiency of future offshore wind projects by providing certainty for developers.
 
Responding for the Government, Ben Wallace, gave his assurances that the Government was on track to meet 2020 targets but that the challenge of taking advantage of opportunities post 2020 remained, and all the points raised in the debate about certainty, timeframes, technology and strategy had been taken on board.
 
Peter commented:
 
“The UK has a strong position in the offshore wind industry with the potential of bringing more jobs to many coastal communities such as Lowestoft and Waveney and it is important that we now give developers certainty and long term confidence beyond 2020 so that they know where they stand and can make the right investment decisions.”