UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has endorsed London’s clean energy initiative, describing it as the largest employment opportunity in decades, as the government pushes to decarbonise the country’s energy system by 2030 and the wider economy by 2050.
Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Miliband said the rollout of offshore wind and other renewable technologies could generate “tens of thousands” of new jobs across engineering, welding, electrical, and construction sectors.
“Clean energy offers the biggest opportunity for job creation for decades and we must seize it,” Miliband said on Wednesday. “Tens of thousands more jobs for engineers, welders, electricians and construction workers. From offshore wind in the east of England to carbon capture and storage in the North East and here in the North West too. Hydrogen in Yorkshire to new nuclear in Wales.”
Miliband also announced plans to introduce a fair work charter from next year under a new Clean Industry Bonus scheme aimed at enhancing trade union representation and improving employment rights, terms, and conditions within the offshore wind workforce.
The energy secretary further confirmed forthcoming legislation to ban shale gas fracking, stating: “Fracking will not take a penny off bills or create long-term sustainable jobs. It will trash our climate commitments, and it is dangerous and deeply harmful to our natural environment.”
Jane Cooper, deputy chief executive of Renewable UK, welcomed Miliband’s focus on the economic benefits of clean energy. She said the wind industry alone, including its supply chain, expects to nearly double jobs from 55,000 currently to as many as 112,500 by 2030.
“The energy secretary made clear his commitment to workers’ rights and fair pay, and the renewable energy industry is equally determined to ensure we maintain the highest standards throughout the sector, maximising opportunities for British workers,” Cooper added.
