Peter Hendry’s Post

What does Labour's general election victory mean for Scotland's role in helping the UK meet its net zero goals? Hydrock, now Stanec's Josh Bullard looks at what needs to be on the agenda for Keir Starmer: “A Labour victory marks a significant change for the UK, particularly with the Party’s notable gains in Scotland, where the Scottish National Party has governed for 17 years. “While considerable progress in grid decarbonisation has been made, Labour’s majority now necessitates some serious thinking about Scotland’s role in the UK's pathway to net zero. Scotland is the UK’s powerhouse for clean energy, with offshore wind being particularly significant. Keir Starmer's plan should aim to maximise Scotland's energy potential for the benefit of the entire UK, alleviating pressure on the grid to facilitate housing, infrastructure, and our increasingly technology-led lives. “Upgrading the grid, however, isn’t just about integrating wind turbines and solar panels; electrifying heat is a pivotal step for decarbonising our economy. To achieve this, we should prioritise decentralised heat networks. Despite its extensive renewable electricity generation, Scotland has the lowest share of heat supplied by renewable sources in Europe, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive approach in the UK. “If Starmer is serious about achieving net zero by 2030, then he must prioritise capturing and distributing Scotland's renewable energy more effectively than previous governments. This demands significant long-term investment and planning, which cannot be delayed any longer. The formation of Great British Energy is hopefully the first stepping stone in this process.” See Josh's comments in BE News' roundup of industry reaction to the election result: https://lnkd.in/emhGaqjb #election #netzero #decarbonisation

Labour triumphs in UK election, commits to net zero by 2030. The UK Labour Party achieved a landslide victory in Thursday's general election, winning over 400 of the 650 seats. According to Labour's manifesto, their supermajority should allow them to transform the UK's energy landscape and accelerate the pace of decarbonisation. Labour promises to triple solar and quadruple offshore wind capacity by 2030, reverse England’s de facto ban on onshore wind projects, and meet a net-zero target by 2030. Their pledge to launch Great British Energy aims to ensure energy security through a publicly owned clean energy company, despite concerns raised about its structure and impact on the UK power sector. The prospect of increased renewable generation could provide bearish signals to later-dated seasonal contracts, but a stricter climate stance might boost carbon prices, as the party promises to align carbon pricing with the costlier EU scheme. #2buy2 #procurement #energy

Big changes in the UK as the country has woken up to a landslide victory by The Labour Party in the general election. There'll be plenty of discussion about this today no doubt, but good to see Greg Jackson from Octopus Energy sharing his views on BBC News just now. He's positive that a large Labour majority will help with the delivery of new renewable energy infrastructure. He said: "One of Labour's five missions was about green growth. It's really important that voters backed this idea that we can deliver cheaper, greener energy by investing in it, so I think a stable business environment, a stable political environment, will help release capital in our sector." He added that a key priority for Labour would be to change the planning system to make it easier to build renewables and other infrastructure. "What Labour needs to do now is hit the ground running with things like planning reform so we can build this infrastructure. There's hundreds of billions of pounds ready to invest in the UK. We just need to do it," he said. Jackson added that The Conservative Party's attempts to turn net zero policies into a culture war has failed. We reflected on what a Labour win would mean for the wind industry in the UK a few weeks ago. Click here: https://lnkd.in/e39BSDGN #onshorewind #offshorewind #renewableenergy #investment A Word About Wind | Energy Storage Report | Tamarindo

Labour's landslide victory in the July 4th General Election marks a new chapter for the UK. Led by Sir Keir Starmer, the new government prioritises tackling the cost of living crisis and achieving net zero by 2050. Key energy policies include creating Great British Energy, boosting renewable investments, and generating 650,000 clean energy jobs by 2030. Discover more about Labour’s ambitious plans and their potential impact on our energy future. Read the full article for an in-depth analysis below. #GeneralElection #EnergyFuture #CleanEnergy #NetZero

Whilst this announcement is laudable and demonstrates a greater commitment to the UK’s transition to Net Zero than the Conservative government, is this the most impactful allocation of limited resources? As a comparator, I would be keen to see a full economic analysis of the benefits of allocating this £8.3bn to addressing the UK’s grid capacity constraint problem instead. Much needed investment in the grid will (i) unlock more renewable development (ii) potentially resulting in lower consumer bills and (iii) on the demand side, mitigate the economic drag of C&I expansion being curtailed because of a lack of grid capacity

A week from now we should have a clear view on the result of the UK general election. All evidence poins to one clear outcome, so we have done some thinking on the big policy calls an incoming Labour government will need to make to deliver its clean energy mission. We think there are 9 big decisions that will shape the planning and delivery of Labour's 2030 clean power ambition, and wider progress on the net zero target. Some of these will be in the first 100 days, but it will take decisive action throughout the course of the next Parliament to really get the UK on track to deliver change at scale. This will be challenging, but not impossible. A new government with a strong mandate will have a window of opportunity to make the big calls.

🔲Claire Coutinho: Labour's energy policy will be 'triple whammy on UK' - Evening Standard 🔲 Check out this insightful article from the Evening Standard about the impact of Labour's energy policy on the UK. Claire Coutinho highlights the potential 'triple whammy' effect and raises important points for consideration. It's a must-read for anyone interested in the future of energy in the UK. #EnergyPolicy #UK #Labour #EveningStandard https://ift.tt/QRJE7uX

Energy is a battleground issue in the UK election, with the Labour Party's promise of a new publicly-owned energy company at the heart of the debate. But how would GB Energy work? Could it really bring down prices for consumers? And what might it mean for Scotland in particular -- where the debate is raging most fiercely? Sussex Energy Group Co-Director Matthew Lockwood has a really thoughtful piece of analysis about this out in The Herald Scotland. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/eaw8GgWM #scotland #energypolicy #gbenergy #policyresearch

🗳 Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party has won the 2024 general election in a landslide, beating Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party. ✅ The Party said it would collaborate with the private sector to double onshore wind power, triple solar power, and quadruple offshore wind power by 2030. ✅ The manifesto proposed a significant budget of £23.7 billion for green initiatives over the next parliamentary term, aiming to create 650,000 jobs by 2030, drive industrial renewal, lower bills, and ensure secure clean energy supplies. ✅ Starmer also promised to create GB Energy, a publicly owned clean power company. According to the party, the organisation aims to reduce energy bills and enhance energy security. Funding for this project will come from a windfall tax on oil and gas, which directly opposes the Conservatives’ support for oil and gas licencing. ✅ Additionally, Labour promised to invest in carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, and marine energy. It also pledges to reward clean energy developers with a ‘British jobs’ bonus, allocating £500 million annually from 2026. #ukelection2024 #netzero2050 #gbenergy #labourparty #ccus #hydrogen #solar #wind

Found this article really useful! A great way to get some insights into the green policies of the different political parties.