Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the policy paper entitled The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, what progress he has made on the delivery of increased offshore wind capacity.

In November 2020, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution committed to deploying 40 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 (including 1GW of floating offshore wind). It also announced £160m of support for offshore wind coastal manufacturing infrastructure across the whole of the UK to support this deployment programme.

The Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme has been very successful in delivering large-scale renewable generation whilst reducing costs through competitive allocation rounds. The next round will open in December 2021 and aims to deliver up to double the renewable capacity of last year’s successful round, potentially providing enough clean energy for up to 10 million homes. The allocation round will be open to floating offshore wind projects and both The Crown Estate and Crown Estate Scotland are taking forward plans for seabed leasing rounds for future floating wind projects.

In February 2021, the Department announced up to £95 million of government investment for two new offshore wind port hubs, to be constructed on Humberside and Teesside. The support for the Teesworks Offshore Manufacturing Centre and the Able Marine Energy Park will help to level up the UK economy, bring in new investment, create high-skilled jobs, and provide new opportunities in ports and the areas around them.

In addition, in the Budget 2021 my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the Government would provide £27 million, subject to business case, for the Aberdeen Energy Transition Zone, helping to support North East Scotland to play a leading role in meeting the UK’s net zero ambitions.

Furthermore, GE Renewable Energy announced an investment in a major new offshore wind turbine blade manufacturing plant, the first investment at the Teesworks Offshore Manufacturing Centre. This brand-new manufacturing facility could create 750 direct renewable energy jobs and close to 1,500 indirect jobs in the area.