The Energy Security and Net Zero Committee has today launched an inquiry examining the potential for UK manufacturing to play a greater role in the supply chain for low-carbon energy projects and the Government support available.
The inquiry will look at where in the sector is the greatest potential for UK manufacturers to make a difference and how growing a more local supply chain could help reach the goal of a secure, decarbonised electricity sector by 2035.
The Government’s 2021 Net Zero Strategy sets out an aspiration for the UK to ‘get ahead of the pack’ and ‘make the birthplace of the industrial revolution the home of the new Green Industrial Revolution’, while April’s Net Zero Growth Plan highlighted actions to support the growth of offshore wind component and heat pump manufacturing.
Chair comment
Angus Brendan MacNeil MP, Chair of the ESNZ Committee, said: “The Committee’s keeping the power on inquiry has already heard that there is huge potential for UK manufacturers to contribute more to the clean energy supply chain. This doesn’t happen by accident though and the Government must make sure the right conditions are in place to allow the UK to become a world leader in green technology. Governments often talk about market forces but Government is the biggest force in the market. Our inquiry will examine what needs to be done to encourage a greater role for UK firms in the supply chain – something which will be key to both decarbonising our energy sector over the next decade and ensuring the UK’s energy security.”
Terms of reference
The Committee is inviting written submissions based on the following questions. The deadline for submissions is Friday 5th January.
- How can UK plc capture its fair share of the economic potential of emerging or less developed energy technologies?
- What more can the Government do to encourage greater domestic supply chain investment in the energy industry by 2035, including through the Contracts for Difference scheme?
- Does the UK have the supply chain capacity to deliver the required energy infrastructure by 2035, including an expanded electricity network?
- To what extent would growing the domestic supply chain bolster UK energy security?
- What are the key concerns with respect to the availability of raw materials in the supply chain and how might those be addressed?
Source : Committes
