What Does the New Government Mean for the Environment?

Date: 05/07/24

As predicted by the polls, Labour swept to a landslide victory in the general election on July 4th. One of the biggest talking points in the campaign was how the different parties would tackle the urgent climate emergency, with various approaches and strategies proposed.

So, what can we expect from Labour now that they are in power? We took a look at the Labour Manifesto to check out their climate plans and priorities. Remember, these are just manifesto promises, and how many of them will actually be implemented remains to be seen.

The overall vision

Labour’s manifesto makes the bold claim that the new Government will turn Britain into a Clean Energy Superpower. ‘The clean energy transition represents a huge opportunity to generate growth,’ it says, claiming that ‘clean energy by 2030 is Labour’s second mission’.

They say that they will achieve this through various different plans and policies, including the establishment of a new publicly owned energy company, Great British Energy, a Green Prosperity Plan in partnership with businesses, and a £6.6billion investment to upgrade the insulation in 5million homes.

This activity will be formalised into the Energy Independence Act, which will ‘establish the framework for Labour’s energy and climate policies’.

Clean energy by 2030

The manifesto pledges to decarbonise the National Grid by 2030, working with the private sector to ‘double onshore wind, triple solar power and quadruple offshore wind by 2030’.

The new Government also plans to back local power generation, partnering with green energy companies like Think Hire and local community groups to install thousands of localised energy projects across the UK.

Crucially, they also plan to upgrade the National Grid. The outdated infrastructure is currently a major drag on progress for local projects like these, with many waiting for connection dates that won’t come until the 2030s. To tackle this issue and improve the grid, Labour promises to ‘rewire Britain’.

Traditional energy

Despite their commitment to clean energy and a zero-carbon electricity system by 2030, Labour admits that ‘oil and gas production in the North Sea will be with us for decades to come’. They won’t revoke any of the licences issued during the last Government, but they have pledged not to issue any new licences to explore oil and gas fields or any new coal licences. They also say they will ban fracking ‘for good’.

Labour is backing new nuclear power stations and improvements to existing plants. This includes Hinkley Point C, Sizewell C and new small modular reactors. They also plan to keep a ‘strategic reserve’ of old gas power stations to guarantee security of supply.

Great British Energy

Labour plans to manage the supply of energy through a new publicly owned company called Great British Energy. This will be capitalised with £8.3billion over the next parliament and will be designed to manage supplies and increase energy independence, to avoid the energy bill shocks experienced in recent years.

This company will partner with green energy companies like Think Hire to deliver clean power through investment in sustainable technologies. It’s hoped that these initiatives will create as many as 650,000 jobs.

Facing the future together

Think Hire welcomes the positive stance on sustainability promised by the new Government. It’s good to see the Government following the lead set by green energy companies like Think Hire to decarbonise energy production. Net zero is a huge challenge that requires positive and proactive collaboration between government and industry, working together to deliver a sustainable future with energy security for everyone.

Think Hire are proud to play our part in the future of Britain’s energy needs, with industry-leading equipment and energy management solutions that deliver cleaner, greener power.

To find out more about Think Hire, the fastest growing of the UK’s green energy companies (Sunday Times Hundred 2024), get in touch today.

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