A key fund directed at upgrading British ports for offshore wind is to be axed. It could lead to loss of around 60,000 green jobs at 3 major wind turbine factories.
The Guardian reports this morning that a key fund directed at upgrading British ports to accommodate for an offshore wind boom is to be axed.
If their report is correct, this could lead to the loss of around 60,000 green jobs at three major wind turbine factories planned by industry.
Siemens, General Electric and Mitsubishi have all said over the last year that their proposed factories were contingent on this key funding. For example, back in July the Financial Times reported that:
Peter Loscher, chief executive of Siemens, told the Financial Times that a proposed £60m overhaul of some ports, intended to make them ready for the heavy duty wind turbines under development, was vital if the company was to proceed with building an £80m manufacturing facility that could create hundreds of “green jobs”.
“This is something that is definitely needed,” he said. “We are hopeful that it will go ahead.”
In February, Nick Clegg spoke exclusively to Left Foot Forward saying that the Lib Dems would invest £400m upgrading shipyards to make them suitable for offshore wind infrastructure.
Clegg told us:
“We need to remove the blockages – lack of space, access to facilities and transport to off-shore sites… Refurbishing seven of the ports will be a shot in the arm to increasing industry and manufacturing that will benefits regions like the North East.”
A Yougov poll last month showed that three-quarters of Lib Dem members wanted clean energy funds like this one either protected or increased in the CSR, and in the last fortnight Chris Huhne re-committed the government to hugely increasing the share of UK energy from renewable sources.
Professor Tom Burke, an influential energy expert who advises government and the private sector on low-carbon business, yesterday warned that the Treasury is attempting to scale back or kill the government’s proposed Green Investment Bank. In an article for The Guardian, Burke outlined four tests of the bank’s credibility:
– The bank will have a mandate wide enough to finance any measure that will reduce carbon emissions;
– It will be established by statute – this matters a lot as it guarantees its independence of government;
– It will have a full set of powers including the ability to issue green bonds;
– Its subscribed capital will begin at £2bn.
Today’s reported cut follows significant other cuts to clean energy budgets.
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37 Responses to “60,000 green jobs under threat from Coalition cuts”
Sahar Mirhadi
RT @leftfootfwd: 60,000 green jobs under threat from Coalition cuts http://bit.ly/bfHsTE @hixmedia @hammyg13
Anon E Mouse
Joss Garman – How can there be a “loss” of 60,000 jobs when those jobs currently don’t exist?
Furthermore where does the “60,000” fantasy figure come from? Siemens claim only 700 jobs, with possibly another 1500 in that supply chain…
Multiply that by three for three companies it amounts, at best case, to 6000 jobs – a tenth of your (usual) alarmist type exaggerated claims.
You also seem to forget (understandable I suppose as an Ed Miliband fanboy) that the one wind turbine factory we did have was closed under the last useless Labour government.
We currently have the greenest government this country has ever seen by their removal of Runway 3 at Heathrow – I assumed your job was done at that point but obviously not…
Chris
@Mouse
Grow up you pathetic LibDem apologist, your inconsistency and hypocrisy is breath taking. Where is your evidence for the Joss being a Ed Miliband fanboy? It seems you haven’t learnt your lesson from the last time you accused Joss of being a Labour stooge.
“We currently have the greenest government this country has ever seen by their removal of Runway 3 at Heathrow – I assumed your job was done at that point but obviously not…”
You don’t have a clue about green issues.
It looks like I’ll have to tell the panel at your next case review that you haven’t been taking your meds and have had a major relapse. Very unfortunate but it looks like its back to the padded room again for you.
JoshC
On the face of it this seems to be an even more myopically stupid move than the Forgemasters fiasco. Not only do 60,000 people not get employed as a direct result of a government decision (at a time when we NEED people to get jobs and pay taxes) but we also lose out on increasing our renewable energy generation ability when both of the parties in government spent the last couple of years telling us that we faced power shortages in the near future.
Short-sighted idiocy seems to be a running theme in this government.
Anon E Mouse
Chris – School finished early eh?
Since the coalition government blocked Heathrow’s Runway 3 – not Joss Garman or “Plane Stupid”, which according to their website the number one part of their mission statement is: “End to short haul flights and airport expansion”
Link Here: (http://www.planestupid.com/aboutus)
The coalition did that Chris, not Joss Garman, the Ed Miliband fanboy.
(Nice to see you didn’t listen to those people who cautioned you about your obsessional and compulsive behaviour and the need to moderate it in public – it’s why you don’t have a partner Chris – take note young man…)