Healing a fragmented state: How Labour’s plan for 2030 power decarbonisation can be delivered
Adam Bell
A new report calls on the Government to introduce a National Energy Plan to tackle infrastructure planning delays, if it is to achieve its aim of delivering decarbonised power by 2030.
A new study by strategic consultancy Stonehaven, on behalf of Project Tempo, warns that without “radical action to tackle planning delays”, the new Labour Government will be unable to meet its target of power decarbonisation by 2030, and that the party must not spurn this golden chance to “reshape the regulatory landscape”.
Healing a Fragmented State
The report, titled Healing a Fragmented State, recommends a new National Energy Plan to specify the location, technology and scale of infrastructure projects and allow planning permission to be granted more easily.
The proposed National Energy Plan will come from combining existing frameworks and will contain data showing the areas where there is enthusiasm for greener infrastructure, so developments can take place in parts of the country where there is wide support.
The study also highlights how the Government’s decarbonisation plan is “the single largest peacetime procurement exercise ever undertaken by the British Government” and will take place “at the same time as many countries around the world are looking to secure similar energy assets for their own purposes”.
With this in mind, Stonehaven advocates the Government to play a vital role in “procuring components and materials by leveraging its convening and buying power”, with the new Great British Energy “enabling significantly more manufacturing and employment to be captured by the UK”.
Finally, Stonehaven recognises that the plans to decarbonise power are being “undertaken against a backdrop of rising discontent at how long it takes to build new projects in Britain”, presenting the Government with a “unique opportunity to reshape the regulatory landscape more quickly and this unlock more growth”.
If the Government were to grasp this opportunity, and demonstrate the case for a “radical, decisive state through the delivery of the 2030 target”, then Stonehaven argue that this kind of action would be legitimised, creating the scope for the broader economic transformation of the UK in sectors beyond energy such as rail, water and housing.
“If Labour is to meet their decarbonisation target, radical action is needed”
Adam Bell, Director of Policy at Stonehaven, said: “We have reached a critical juncture in Britain with regards to energy infrastructure. The new Government’s plan to decarbonise power by 2030 is both ambitious and achievable, but if it is to meet their target of green energy in six years, then radical action is needed to tackle planning delay which are preventing vital developments from taking place.
“What we need is a National Energy Plan to streamline the process, making sure that new infrastructure is built in the right areas where the local appetite is strong and the development appropriate.
“Against a backdrop of growing public frustration with the glacial pace of development, the incoming government have unique opportunity to encourage new developments to take place in areas across the country which are crying out for jobs and investment. They must grasp it with both hands.”
“The right approach to decarbonisation is one that brings entire economies with it”
Pandora Lefroy, CEO of Project Tempo, said: “The new Government’s commitment to decarbonising Britain’s power system by 2030 will involve building infrastructure at an unprecedented pace, reengineering the way the UK sources its electricity from the ground up, and blazing a trail for other nations to follow.
“Project Tempo is about precisely this kind of pace, and we are pleased to support this Stonehaven paper which explores the vital regulatory framework changes the UK must make to achieve this goal. The changes set out in this paper will transform how the UK delivers major projects, changes that will help not just deliver this near-term target but unlock growth.
“Project Tempo believes that the right approach to decarbonisation is one that grows the economy and one that creates opportunities for those who feel left behind by today’s economic and political system. The growth, the jobs and the investment that the Government’s bold target could unlock can be part of this - if the Government can deliver.”
