Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Pakes Excerpts

Tuesday 17th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[Kenneth Stevenson (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab)]

13. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Great British Energy on job creation in industrial communities.

[Andrew Pakes (Peterborough) (Lab)]

20. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Great British Energy on job creation in industrial communities. [R]

[The Minister of State, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Sarah Jones)]

Great British Energy will deliver well-paid jobs in industrial communities. It will own and invest in projects across the country, it will crowd in private investment, and it will develop those crucial supply chains that will make us more resilient as a country and deliver more jobs.

[Sarah Jones]

I will work with my hon. Friend on creating the jobs that we all want. It has been announced that Great British Energy will be located in Aberdeen, and there are two additional sites, one in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh. The national wealth fund has just announced a £20 million investment in XLCC, to support a world-leading factory in Hunterston producing cables. That will support 900 jobs. We have seen a £1.6 million investment by Sarens PSG to provide specialist equipment and skilled workers, and to set up a centre for excellence in Aberdeen. Those are the kinds of projects that we want across our communities, in his constituency and beyond.

[Andrew Pakes]

An important aspect of Great British Energy’s work will be ensuring industrial strength in all areas of the UK. Places such as Peterborough are well placed to develop high-skilled jobs and great opportunities in green hydrogen to support that transition, through the work of National Gas in Werrington and our new university campus, Anglia Ruskin University Peterborough. Does the Minister agree that the success of GB Energy will be the breadth of opportunities that it creates in places such as mine?

[Sarah Jones]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Green hydrogen is vital, not just for the decarbonisation of heavy industry but for aviation and maritime. It has the potential to create thousands of very highly skilled jobs in every region of the country. We have already confirmed support for 11 green hydrogen projects from Cumbria to Cornwall, and from Scotland to Kent. I look forward to saying more on our hydrogen journey soon.