21/08/2021 | Supply chain

RenewableUK joins UK Energy Supply Chain Taskforce

25 August 2021 - RenewableUK press release


RenewableUK is delighted to join the new UK Energy Supply Chain (UKESC) taskforce, co-chaired by DIT Minister for Exports Graham Stuart and BEIS Energy Minister Ann-Marie Trevelyan.


In a move which underpins the crucial role that the UK’s energy supply chain will play in helping the UK government to achieve their 2050 net zero ambitions, UKESC has been developed to help ensure that UK companies can more readily transition to the green economy.


Key to this will be to nurture the key technologies, skills and capacity that we already have across thousands of businesses, and to identify and support the rapid growth of competitive new capabilities to meet future energy needs.


This will allow expertise across the broad spectrum of energy technologies to be developed in the UK and then be exported widely to global markets, to help deliver the global drive to decarbonisation.


The taskforce will be technology-agnostic and will cover all energy sectors and all areas of the UK, recognising the work that is already moving at pace across the country, and will work in support of levelling up, building back better and existing sector deals.


It will provide a more amplified voice for the entirety of the UK energy supply chain, to help ensure their challenges, needs and opportunities are more directly incorporated into policy thinking. 


Dan McGrail, CEO of RenewableUK, said:


“The transition to a net zero energy system can support a green industrial revolution across the UK. The renewables sector is investing in new technologies and projects, creating jobs and opportunities that support levelling up all parts of the country.


“We’re excited to work with the UK Government and organisations across the energy sector to boost the opportunities to grow our supply chain at home, and through exports to rapidly-expanding global markets.”


Commenting on UKESC, and his role as co-chair, Graham Stuart, Minister for Exports, Department for International Trade said:


“The UK is leading the world in reducing emissions and charting a route to net zero. As well as being the right thing to do, being a world leader gives us the chance to develop the technologies and industrial capability in the UK which can then be exported elsewhere.


“The taskforce will be a joint enterprise between industry and government which will guide policy making so that as many jobs and businesses as possible are created in the UK. Domestic delivery and international sales are intertwined - and we will do everything we can to deliver both.”


Energy Minister and co-chair of the UK Energy Supply Chain Taskforce, Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:


“It is vital that we work hand in hand with industry as we build back greener to ensure UK companies can play their part in meeting our ambitious climate commitments. I am looking forward to engaging with our energy supply chain through this Taskforce.


“Working with industry will also guarantee we have a skills base fit for the future with jobs on the ground right across the country for generations to come. The government’s commitment to levelling up every corner of the UK and supporting key government policies like the North Sea Transition Deal will be central to the work of the UK Energy Supply Chain Taskforce.”


(ENDS)

Notes


RenewableUK’s members are building our future energy system, powered by clean electricity. We bring them together to deliver that future faster; a future which is better for industry, billpayers, and the environment. We support over 400 member companies to ensure increasing amounts of renewable electricity are deployed across the UK and to access export markets all over the world. Our members are business leaders, technology innovators, and expert thinkers from right across industry. 


The UKESC secretariat will be provided by the Energy Industries Council (EIC).


For further information, contact