Commenting on today’s report by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) “The UK’s Net Zero Economy”, which is based on analysis by CBI Economics showing the UK’s net zero economy grew by 9% in 2023 - in contrast to the wider economy in which GDP grew by just 0.1% - RenewableUK’s Director of Strategic Communications Nathan Bennett said: 

“We talk so much about future jobs in green industries that some people forget that there are already tens of thousands of people across the UK working in the clean energy sector today. This report makes clear that in places like Grimsby, Blyth, Hull and Barrow which are hubs of the offshore wind sector, and Sheffield where we have a growing green hydrogen industry, people now have lived experience of the benefits of clean energy investment in their communities - and that voters may consider this at the ballot box this year. As many of these areas are marginal constituencies, we may see each party’s policies on green growth making a considerable difference to the outcome of the next election.
 
"The UK also has an opportunity to unlock billions of pounds in further green investment by the private sector, and create thousands of new high-wage jobs, particularly if the Government encourages the growth of innovative technologies like floating wind and tidal stream, and nurtures UK supply chain companies which provide components and services for clean energy projects here and abroad. To make the most of this opportunity, we need to maximise the amount of new renewable energy we secure in each annual auction for new clean energy projects, reform the planning system to make it more agile, and rapidly build new grid infrastructure to get cheap clean power to consumers more efficiently".   
The ECIU’s report is available here under embargo until 00.01am on Tuesday 27th February.