Britain’s latest offshore wind auction has attracted around £3 billion ($3.8 billion) of private investment into domestic ports, factories and supply chains, supported by £204 million of public funding through a new Clean Industry Bonus, the government said on Tuesday.
The record Allocation Round 7 (AR7) auction secured 8.4 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity, enough to power more than 12 million homes, according to the statement. Ministers said the results would require successful projects to source infrastructure from across the UK’s industrial regions, supporting up to 7,000 jobs.
The government added that the scheme is expected to deliver up to £1.1 billion of supply chain investment and as many as 2,400 clean energy jobs in Scotland.
“We promised to take back control of our energy with clean, homegrown power – and today we’re delivering in a way that brings good industrial jobs for Scotland and the rest of the country,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. “Billions in investment will flow into hardworking industrial communities to build clean energy supply chains in Britain.”
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the auction underscored the government’s wider industrial strategy. “Our clean energy mission is creating thousands of good jobs for working people in their hometown, bringing transformational opportunities for Britain and reversing decades of industrial decline,” he said.
AR7 is the first UK offshore wind auction to include the Clean Industry Bonus, which provides additional financial incentives for developers that invest in British supply chains and cleaner manufacturing facilities. The government described the bonus as a first-of-its-kind initiative and a signal of confidence in the UK’s clean energy and industrial policy.
Separately, new government analysis found that offshore wind, solar and onshore wind projects remain cheaper to build and operate than new gas-fired power infrastructure, reinforcing the role of renewables in Britain’s future energy mix.
