60,000 green jobs under threat from Coalition cuts

Green Politics

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”

  1. thegreengod

    60000 green jobs under threat from Coalition cuts | Left Foot Forward: You don't have a clue about green issues. I… http://bit.ly/9oqEMD

  2. Chris

    @geoff1

    Yawn…mousey your sockpuppets have come out to play.

  3. Mr. Sensible

    Mr Mouse, the factory probably closed because of the amount of nimbyism in certain places across the country.

    As for:
    ‘We currently have the greenest government this country has ever seen…’

    Alright, I believe removing Runway 3 was a very good thing, and there aren’t many of those from this government.

    But their green credibility ends there.

    This is an example of government investment helping the economy.

  4. phonebook

    60000 green jobs under threat from Coalition cuts | Left Foot Forward http://bit.ly/bsfcbn

  5. Anon E Mouse

    Mr.Sensible – Apart from huge amounts of hot air from the last useless Labour government tell me exactly what they did?

    They taxed us to the hilt for so called “green issues” and then spent the money on nothing to do with those very same issues – they promoted Runway 3 for goodness sake. Hypocrites.

    Onto your nimbyism – rubbish. It was Vestas on the Isle Of White and the LABOUR government didn’t help it out: The company say – “It blamed a number of factors, including the weakness of the pound and “a lack of political initiatives”.

    The lack of the political initiative was taken by Ed Miliband, a favourite of Joss Garman (one of his biggest fanboys) and the writer of this very article.

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/21/wind-turbine-factory-occupation

    So once again Mr.Sensible you are criticising the coalition for the very same thing your precious Labour government did.

    I ask again. Did you hear Ed Miliband’s speech or not at the conference?

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