Political hurdles now main obstacle for UK clean energy drive, says Coppard

He added that technological challenges to the energy transition – such as the expertise needed to build small modular reactors – had now largely been solved, but that political issues remained as a key obstacle.

He said: “The challenge is the politics. It's the politics of driving forward an energy transition despite local concerns, despite national concerns, despite the fiscal environment – all the challenges that we know of.

"It's about how we are going to drive forward that ambition and build a new energy infrastructure in this country.

“I think here in South Yorkshire, we’re better placed than almost anybody to take those challenges on.

“I am prepared, in fact keen, to take on all comers when it comes to making a case for nuclear, or solar. Solar takes up a huge amount of space in terms of the political debate locally, in terms of building on land that otherwise would perhaps be used for people walking their dogs, and people don’t like it.

“On all of those areas, I want to be at the forefront of debates, I don't shy away from the challenges of that.”

South Yorkshire has been home to a number of debates around land use for green energy projects.

In January, campaigners held a protest against plans for a large solar farm between Rotherham and Doncaster.

Named Whitestone Solar Farm, those behind the project claim that if the plan goes ahead, the site could power around 250,000 homes.

Protesters have argued, however, that the site should be kept as green belt land.

Currently in the pre-application stage, the plan has been classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, meaning a final decision on whether or not the project goes ahead will be made by the government.

Similar debates have also arisen in other areas of Yorkshire, including around battery energy storage projects, used to store the power from green energy sources.

Mr Coppard also hailed the employment opportunities in the region presented by the clean energy transition.

He said: “South Yorkshire is going to see success in a way it has for 30, 40 or even 50 years.

“But it has to grab that with both hands. We have the muscle memory in South Yorkshire for what it means to be an energy producing place. It is in the bones of this place. And we now have the scale of ambition we haven’t seen before.

“If we get that right, the things that people want – jobs and growth and money in people’s pockets – can be done here in South Yorkshire.”

South Yorkshire is home to a number of major companies working on the energy transition, including Clean Power Hydrogen and ITM Power, in the hydrogen energy sector, and Rolls Royce in the nuclear sector.

Rolls Royce is currently working in South Yorkshire to develop Small Modular Reactors – small nuclear reactors which are designed to be built in factories and transported to other sites for installation.

Though debates are ongoing around the status of nuclear energy as a “clean” or green method of energy production, the technology has been cited as key to powering the UK when weather conditions mean wind and solar power are unavailable.

Mr Coppard’s comments were also echoed by Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, who said in a video address to the Clean Energy Summit that the transition offers the “best chance in decades” to create new, well-paid jobs in South Yorkshire.

He said: “My single most important message is that I accept your invitation to work with you to seize the huge opportunities for clean energy which are present in South Yorkshire, and indeed our country as a whole.

“We all know it offers our best chance in decades to create a new generation of good, well paid jobs, with stronger trade unions, and the kind of jobs that communities in our region are crying out for.”