UK announces record green energy auction

The UK on Tuesday said it had awarded a record 131 new green infrastructure projects in a single auction, including plans for Europe's two biggest offshore windfarms.

The new Labour government hailed the outcome to power millions of homes across the island nation with cleaner energy and which followed a similar unsuccessful auction in 2023 under the previous Conservative administration.

"We inherited a broken energy policy, including last year's disastrous auction round which gave us no successful offshore wind projects," Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said in a statement.

He said the UK had "achieved a record-setting round for enough renewable power for 11 million homes, essential to give energy security to families across the country.

"It is another significant step forward in our mission for clean power by 2030—bringing Britain energy independence and lower bills for good," Miliband added.

The auction awarded contracts for nine new offshore wind projects, including for what will be Europe's largest and second largest windfarms, Hornsea 3 and Hornsea 4 off the Yorkshire coast in northern England.

There were also contracts for onshore wind, solar and tidal energy projects.

But Greenpeace UK's political campaigner, Ami McCarthy, said the new plans amounted to only half the offshore wind needed to meet the government's 2030 target.

"This urgently needs to be followed up with a much bigger auction next year, as well as investment for faster grid connections, better planning, and more storage to hold the green power for when it's needed," she added in a separate statement.

Labour increased the new contract budget by 50 percent to attract more business after industry groups blamed last year's lack of bidders on contract prices being set too low.

Soon after winning election in July, new Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government launched Great British Energy, a public-owned body that intends to spur investment in domestic renewable projects.

© 2024 AFP