Government pledges £1.5bn for renewable energy projects

Louise Frohlich
Written By
Maximilian Schwerdtfeger
Reviewed By
Published on 2 August 2024
  • Government budget of £1.5bn announced to boost UK energy security
  • The sixth allocation round (AR6) budget is 7 times higher than AR5
  •  £1.1bn has been allocated to the development of offshore wind power
Wind turbines in countryside

For the sixth allocation round (AR6) of the CfD scheme, the final budget is £1.555bn

Ed Miliband MP, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, has committed £1.5bn to boost energy security in the UK and help deliver homegrown clean energy projects.

The budget is the largest ever for renewable energy and is 50% bigger than the most recent one of £500 million.

With the majority of the funds allocated to offshore wind generation, and the scheme aims to help build green infrastructure, as part of the UK’s 2030 clean power goals. 

Describing the previous auction renewable energy round by the last government as a “catastrophe” that hampered the UK’s energy independence, Miliband said Labour was “backing industry to build in Britain”.

“This will restore the UK as a global leader for green technologies and deliver the infrastructure we need to boost our energy independence, protect bill payers, and become a clean energy superpower,” Miliband said.

Energy minister Michael Shanks MP said it was the government’s mission to make the UK more “energy secure” and that the country needs “more renewable energy projects connected to the grid and powering our homes”. 

“Increasing the budget by more than 50% will boost industry confidence to back clean energy, attracting cutting edge clean technologies to Britain as we accelerate to a decarbonised power sector by 2030,” Shanks said. 

The budget comes under the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, a government incentive for investment in renewable energy to support low carbon electricity generation. 

It provides project developers with a ‘strike price’ and protection from unstable wholesale prices and protects consumers from paying higher bills when electricity prices rise.

However, the scheme is not a subsidy, and when the wholesale cost of electricity is higher than the strike price, the Exchequer receives the difference, cutting the cost of the scheme. 

For the sixth allocation round (AR6) of the CfD scheme, the final budget is £1.555bn, which is an overall increase of £530m. 

The budget is split into Pots, with £185m for Pot 1, established technologies such as solar power, an uplift of £65m, £270m for Pot 2, emerging technologies, an uplift of £165m, and £1.1bn for Pot 3, offshore wind, an uplift of £300m.

The increase means the AR6 budget is seven times higher than AR5.

Chris Hewett, chief executive of Solar Energy UK, said: “This is further very welcome news for the solar sector, following yesterday’s consultation on planning rules and the approval of three large-scale solar farms only a week after the election.

“While all depends on the results of the coming auction, the increased allocation should allow many more projects to go ahead, driving down carbon emissions and energy bills alike.”

The cost-of-living crisis has revealed the UK’s over-reliance on fossil fuels, the markets of which have become extremely volatile since the war in Ukraine. 

Investing in clean energy is hoped to grant Britain energy independence while simultaneously making it a clean energy superpower and global leader of net zero goals. This will also unburden those beholden to steep prices on the current grid. 

Written by

Louise Frohlich

Louise joined The Eco Experts as Editorial Assistant in April 2024. She is a talented artist who has a keen interest in solutions that lead to a more environmentally-friendly future. Louise graduated from the University of Winchester in 2022 and went on to write for The Eco Experts sister site, Expert Reviews. She has taken part in charity expeditions to Ecuador and Uganda to help build water pipes, promote environmental cleanup initiatives and implement sustainable farming techniques. She now uses her knowledge to help readers make more eco-friendly choices. Alongside her passion for the environment she enjoys theatre, portraiture and Egyptology.

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Reviewed By

Maximilian Schwerdtfeger

Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.

In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.

He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment.

Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa.

As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals.

His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.

Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history and ghost stories. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.

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