Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to increase (a) renewable energy and (b) low carbon technology exports.

The Department for International Trade works with key UK suppliers, foreign Governments, sector focussed trade associations and procuring authorities to increase exports in the renewable energy and low carbon technology sectors.

Understanding the UK’s capability and matching it with relevant high value export opportunities overseas forms part of the work of our renewable energy sector team. Alongside this the Department for International Trade undertakes a range of promotion activities to support the export of renewable energy and low carbon technologies. In support of this UK Export Finance, the UK’s export credit agency, offers finance and insurance to help UK-based companies of all sizes and across all sectors (including the renewable energy and low carbon technology sectors) win, fulfil and get paid for overseas sales, ensuring that no viable UK export fails for lack of finance or insurance.

UKEF recently provided support to BurntIsland Fabrications Ltd (BiFab) for a contract worth in excess of £100 million, helping secure jobs at BiFab’s three UK manufacturing sites. BiFab makes high-quality steel fabrications for the offshore renewables sector.