Offshore wind is the lynchpin of the 海角视频鈥檚 path to Net Zero, new Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Hands has told industry leaders.
He gave his first speech since this month鈥檚 reshuffle, making the keynote address at the opening of Renewable海角视频鈥檚 Global Offshore Wind conference in London.
It came as 拢900 million of investment - much of it in the Humber and North East - was celebrated by the trade organisation as the sector gears up to support government ambition.
Read more: Ministers welcome jobs at 拢130m cable factory in Northumberland
Mr Hands said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e now only 32 days away from the start of COP26 where we will look to accelerate global action to tackle the climate crisis, and it鈥檚 no exaggeration to say that offshore wind will be a lynchpin in our efforts to reach net zero.
鈥淟ast year the Prime Minister set out his ambitious Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, and it鈥檚 no coincidence that offshore wind took prime position in his vision.
鈥淲hilst I may be new to this position as Minister for Energy and Climate Change, I鈥檓 not new to offshore wind. I have long been an ardent enthusiast in government and beyond for the sector.
"As Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2015 we moved the parameters of spending and the CfD process decisively in favour of offshore wind and as Trade Minister since 2016 I鈥檝e always pushed the sector鈥檚 export capability whether in Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam or elsewhere around the world, and also attracting important foreign direct investment here into the 海角视频.
"So I鈥檓 personally thrilled that our country has the world鈥檚 largest installed offshore wind capacity. But not content with being world number one, we are projecting a quadrupling of that capacity within 10 years.鈥
Mr Hands highlighted progress made on aviation issues to push forward deployment, as well as on environmental sustainability, new grid infrastructure and planning policy reforms.
He concluded: 鈥淔loating wind will become increasingly important in helping us to reach our sixth Carbon Budget and net zero. I鈥檓 excited to see how many new floating wind projects will be brought forward by Crown Estate Scotland鈥檚 ScotWind leasing process and The Crown Estate鈥檚 planned leasing round in the Celtic Sea. Building a strong 海角视频-based floating wind supply chain will allow us to deploy here and to capitalise on a growing export market.鈥
The first physical gathering of the industry in two years has been lapped up by the sector.
海角视频 leads for Siemens Gamesa and Orsted, huge players on the Humber, were involved in an early panel as the global vision for 2050 was set out.
The global pipeline now stands at 413GW, including projects which are fully operational, under construction, consented or being planned.
In terms of operational capacity, the 海角视频 retains its top spot at 10.4GW but China is catching up at 9.4GW and Germany stands at 7.7GW. Globally 35.3GW are fully operational.
'Invest more, deliver quicker' call from Renewable海角视频 CEO
Welcoming Mr Hands and congratulating him on his appointment, Renewable海角视频 chief executive Dan McGrail said: 鈥淭he shocks and challenges of the last 18 months can鈥檛 be underestimated, and I鈥檇 like to pay tribute to everyone in the industry for the resilience we鈥檝e shown in response to Covid 鈥 particularly to those key workers who continued going out and doing essential work to keep the lights on.
鈥淐oming out of the pandemic, we now have another vital job to do in delivering a green recovery 鈥 showing how investment in net zero supports levelling-up and a more resilient economy.
鈥淲e want to build a build a globally competitive supply chain here in the 海角视频, and the Government has worked with us to back our supply chain and unlock these investments.
鈥淭he resilience we鈥檝e shown and the investment we鈥檝e secured in the last 18 months underlines what this sector has to offer. Offshore wind can be the backbone of a clean, secure and affordable energy system.鈥
He said a key task was to invest more in renewables, and deliver quicker, and he is looking forward to the next subsidy action as 鈥渁n incredible opportunity to shift the dial,鈥 underlining how it 鈥減romises to be one of the most ambitious renewables auctions in the world later this year,鈥 having campaigned for more.
鈥淲hat we鈥檝e achieved in the 海角视频鈥檚 offshore wind industry is remarkable,鈥 he said.
鈥淩ecord low prices, rapid decarbonisation and a supply chain spreading prosperity across the country. I think that is a record that we can be proud of going into COP26.
鈥淪ince I became CEO of Renewable海角视频 in May, I鈥檝e had the privilege of getting to know more of the companies that are investing in offshore wind and the net zero transition. And it鈥檚 clear to me that there are still big challenges ahead. As I see it, the challenge of net zero is all about speed and scale. In offshore wind, we know how to do scale, we鈥檝e been scaling up since the beginning 鈥 it鈥檚 in our DNA. The next generation of turbines are as tall as skyscrapers, with blades over 100m long.
鈥淭hat leaves speed. That鈥檚 the crucial challenge for us, and it鈥檚 also the challenge at COP26 - we all know the end point we need to reach, but we need to get there faster.
鈥淔or us that means cutting the time it takes to plan, develop and build offshore wind projects. Today that process can take over 10 years. Ten years in which we鈥檙e missing out on the clean, cheap power we need. So, the question for all of us is 鈥榟ow can we do that faster?鈥
"We know a lot of the answers to that. We need to support innovation, invest in a net zero grid that makes it easier and quicker to connect projects, and ensuring the leasing and consenting regime reflects the scale of the ambition.
"The speed and scale of the vaccine roll out is a triumph made possible by harnessing many of humanity鈥檚 greatest qualities: ingenuity; innovation, collaboration, compromise united around an unwavering commitment to a singular goal. It shows you what is possible when we come together.
"In the fight against climate change we can and should harness those qualities again with the speed and agility we need to achieve our singular goal 鈥 Net Zero."
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