Record breaking funding for clean energy in Britain

Government announces budget of over £1.5 billion to deliver homegrown clean energy projects and boost UK's energy security.

Energy Secretary, the Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, unveils the largest-ever budget for delivering new homegrown clean energy projects in the UK –  boosting energy security, securing cheap power for families, and unlocking economic growth and jobs for the country.

Ed Miliband announced that the budget for this year’s renewable energy auction, the sixth allocation round, is being increased by £500 million to over £1.5 billion. This funding will boost the building of new green infrastructure as part of the mission to deliver clean power by 2030 and accelerate the delivery of clean, cheap, low-carbon electricity to families and businesses, generated by renewable energy technologies such as wind turbines and solar panels.  

The revised budget comes on the same day as the Onshore Wind Taskforce’s first meeting, which convenes industry experts to accelerate the development of onshore wind across England, and the Clean Energy Mission Board, which will meet to ensure a relentless focus on delivering the mission of clean power by 2030 and accelerating towards net zero.

£1.1 billion of funding has been ringfenced for offshore wind – the backbone of the UK’s clean energy mission – making more budget available than all the previous auctions combined, sending a strong signal to industry to invest in UK waters.  

CfDs guarantee a set price for electricity – known as a strike price – that generators receive per unit of power output. It is designed to protect consumers and businesses from future uncertainty on the global energy market.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “Last year’s auction round was a catastrophe, with zero offshore wind secured, and delaying our move away from expensive fossil fuels to energy independence."

"Instead, we are backing industry to build in Britain, with this year’s auction getting its biggest budget yet. This will restore the UK as a global leader for green technologies and deliver the infrastructure we need to boost our energy independence, protect billpayers, and become a clean energy superpower.”

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