Uncertainty around green support is likely to stifle investment in the region
If Britain is serious about decarbonising then it will need to give clean energy companies certainty. Not the sort of flip flopping that the Reform party is currently offering.
On the one hand, Reform mayors are more than happy to take Government money for things such as solar panels but then saying those that seek government support do so at their own risk because if Reform is in Government then it would withdraw said funding.
Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice recently wrote to firms giving them “formal notice” that the party would axe deals aimed at offering sustainable generators protection against market volatility.
If Reform won an election, he said “we will seek to strike down all contracts signed under AR7” – the upcoming allocation round for Contracts for Difference (CfD), which would see developers guaranteed a fixed price for electricity – independent of the wholesale price. Tackling the climate crisis requires both governments and businesses working together.
And one of the places that cannot afford uncertainty is East Yorkshire. The clean power industry is a huge investor in this part of the region.
Siemens Gamesa, which makes wind turbine blades, is one of Hull’s biggest employers. Hornsea 1 and Hornsea 2, which are two of the biggest off-shore wind farms in the world, are situated off the East Yorkshire coast.
As Richard Gwilliam, chair of the Humber Energy Board, says: “Having cross-party consensus and support around decarbonisation has been important for the whole region to channel investment decisions in.”