RenewableUK’s CEO calls for more ambitious clean energy targets

The Government has set a cap of 12 GW for the fourth round of auctions for Contracts for Difference (CfDs) which opens in December 2021 and will conclude in 1H2022.

Mr McGrail is urging Ministers to raise the cap to at least 15 GW; a 25% increase in capacity.

Over 14 GW of clean energy capacity (wind, solar, marine power and other innovative technologies) is already eligible to compete in this year’s auction, and that could rise to over 23 GW by the end of 2021 – including over 16 GW of wind - if the immediate pipelines of projects currently seeking planning approval are consented in a timely manner.

As a key step to maximise deployment, Mr McGrail is also calling for CfD auctions to be held annually from 2023 onwards, rather than once every two years, to maintain a constant, steady flow of new projects. This will help to smooth out deployment, build up the UK supply chain and enable further cost reductions.

Mr McGrail, who took up his post in May 2021, said: “Accelerating the speed and scale of the energy transition is vital, starting this year with a more ambitious auction to secure 25% more clean energy capacity, and moving to annual auctions as soon as possible. The Government has said it wants to build back better after the pandemic and public support for renewables is sky-high. As the UK is hosting the biggest international climate change summit for years in Glasgow in November 2021, there will never be a better moment to kickstart the Prime Minister’s Green Industrial Revolution".

“Renewable energy has a key role in levelling up, creating manufacturing jobs in parts of the country which need new opportunities. In 2021 alone, we’ve seen a series of landmark announcements including of a new offshore wind turbine blade factory on Teesside, a turbine foundation factory on Humberside and a new plant to make giant transition pieces for offshore wind turbines in Newcastle. This is the start of a decade of delivery – the renewable energy sector is a major engine of job creation in the 2020s”.

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