Boris Johnson’s pledge that every UK home will be powered by
electricity from offshore wind farms by 2030 revealed ‘a poverty
of ambition’, compared with the vast sums that France and Germany
were investing in this sector.
Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, said the prime
minister’s promise at the virtual Conservative party conference
was a welcome late-conversion to wind farms, but questioned
whether there was an over-reliance on wind, when a future energy
policy should include a ‘mix’ of supply, including low-carbon
nuclear.
Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail said: “We welcome
the prime minister’s conversion to offshore wind farms, but what
it reveals is the poverty of ambition compared with France and
Germany.
“The spending proposed by pales into significance with the vast sums that our
main European competitors have invested in this sector.
“The commitment for 60 per cent of the turbines to be
manufactured in the UK only highlights that much more could have
been done to invest in this sector and the jobs boost that would
have been created. This was highlighted by the closure of Vestas
on the Isle of Wight a decade ago.
“The Johnson rhetoric will turn out to be a mirage without a
strong economy, retention of skilled jobs and investment in
apprenticeships – and this means that chancellor needs to continue to do much more to protect employment
as we go through the coronavirus pandemic.”
Unite national officer for energy Peter McIntosh said. “What we
are waiting for is the government’s much-delayed energy White
Paper which will show how the UK reaches its pledge of net-zero
carbon emissions across all forms of energy by 2050. This will
include low carbon nuclear and renewables, such as wind power.
“What the prime minister spoke about today is only a partial
picture of what needs to be done to keep the lights on for
industry, business and the consumer.”
