Business Secretary Greg Clark has launched the UK’s much-anticipated Industrial Strategy, which sets out a vision for clean technology and innovation to play a key role in boosting the UK’s long-term economic prospects. The Strategy white paper outlines a plan to tackle the UK’s struggling productivity rates and make the country the world’s “most innovation nation by 2030” by embracing technological change. In regards to infrastructure, the Government has pledged to invest £400m in EV charging points and a further £100m to extend the plug-in car grant, as first revealed in the Chancellor’s Budget last Wednesday. This will be matched by an increased £31bn into the National Productivity Fund, to back investments in transport, housing and digital infrastructure. The Strategy has been welcomed by members of the green business community, with Aldersgate Group’s chief executive Nick Molho describing it as a clear signal that clean growth is part of the UK’s mainstream economic strategy. “The Industrial Strategy can have a transformative impact on the UK’s economy, driving low carbon innovation and the continued growth of jobs, skills and supply chains,” Molho said. “It is positive to see that clean growth is now a core objective for the strategy and there is increased focus on energy and resource productivity, and strengthening the synergies between power, heat and transport systems.” Molho’s thoughts were echoed by Greenpeace UK head of energy Hannah Martin, who said: “Ministers are right to recognise clean energy as a top priority for British industry and regional regeneration. It’s a sector that holds enormous potential for technological breakthroughs, job creation and boosting productivity. “Britain’s economy needs a clean, flexible, and affordable energy system. And it needs to give people clean air by speeding up the end of diesel vehicles. A system led by offshore wind, smart technology, battery storage and electric vehicles will make that happen.” An independent Industrial Strategy Council will be launched next year to hold Ministers to account over progress. The Government’s new plan will work alongside the Clean Growth Strategy, released last month, to help push the UK towards its future carbon budgets. As part of that Strategy, the Government has pledged multi-billion-pound investments into low-carbon innovations and household energy-efficiency.
Edie 27th Nov 2017 read more »
The eagerly awaited industrial strategy unveiled by the UK government on Monday was meant to be the definitive road map towards a world-beating, wealth creating economy. After 16 months of reflection by ministers, the judgment being passed on the complex strategy document is that it amounts to a good start – but much still remains to be done to ensure success. Some industrialists and academics complained that the thicket of old and new funding programmes, lined up with myriad government initiatives, could be confusing. Dr Craig Berry of the University of Sheffield, a member of the independent Industrial Strategy Commission, hit out at funding initiatives he described as “microscopic compared to the size of the challenge, and the plan for unlocking private investment is under-cooked and, frankly, pitiful”.
FT 27th Nov 2017 read more »
We will continue to work closely with the nuclear and offshore wind industries to further drive down the costs of clean power, while building UK supply chains. We will also continue to explore the long-term options for clean heating and the many potential uses of low carbon hydrogen. The nuclear sector is integral to increasing productivity and driving growth across the country. Nuclear is a vital part of our energy mix, providing low carbon power now and into the future. The safe and efficient decommissioning of our nuclear legacy is an area of world leading expertise. The nuclear sector, under the leadership of Lord Hutton, is in advanced discussions with the government on a range of ambitious proposals to increase competitiveness
BEIS 27th Nov 2017 read more »
The UK’s nuclear sector is in advanced discussions with the government on a range of ambitious proposals to increase competitiveness, a policy paper published today by the government says. The Industrial Strategy white paper says details of discussions between the nuclear sector and the government will be announced in the coming weeks, but they focus on how substantial cost reductions can be achieved across the UK’s new build and decommissioning programmes. The sector’s proposals cover the supply chain, nuclear R&D, and skills, where the aim of the deal is to help deliver the diverse workforce needed for the future. The white paper says the UK’s nuclear sector is integral to increasing productivity and driving growth. Nuclear is a vital part of the country’s energy mix and will provide low-carbon power now and into the future. The safe and efficient decommissioning of the UK’s nuclear legacy is an area of world-leading expertise, the paper adds. It says: “We will continue to work closely with the nuclear and offshore wind industries to further drive down the costs of clean power, while building UK supply chains.” Lord Hutton, chairman of the London-based Nuclear Industry Association, said the white paper recognises the wider economic contribution the nuclear industry can continue to make across the UK. He said the industry has made significant progress with government towards agreeing a deal which will “maximise opportunities and help improve productivity, foster innovation and reduce cost”.
Nucnet 27th Nov 2017 read more »
The nuclear sector is “integral to increasing productivity and driving growth” in the UK, according to the government’s Industrial Strategy White Paper launched today. In the UK, a White Paper is a government report giving information or proposals on an issue.
World Nuclear News 27th Nov 2017 read more »
Following the dismal economic predictions from the Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) revealed during last week’s Budget, “clean growth” is now widely touted by government as one of the key drivers for boosting the long-term health of the UK economy. The Strategy builds on the messaging established in the Clean Growth Strategy (CGS) last month, where Ministers went to great pains to stress that decarbonising the UK economy was no longer a worthy duty to be suffered but an opportunity for the UK to be at the forefront of a technological revolution. As the Industrial Strategy itself points out, the UK’s green economy could grow at four times the rate of GDP, a major bright spot in the face of waning long-term growth forecasts. Green technologies have now firmly joined construction, automotive and manufacturing as the darlings of UK economic policy, the favoured industries that the government hopes will deliver its vision of a Global Britain post-Brexit.
Business Green 27th Nov 2017 read more »
The UK government has published its long-awaited blueprint for transforming UK industry into a world leader in modern, low-carbon growth. The 255-page Industrial Strategy promises to “maximise the advantages for UK industry in the global shift to clean growth” as part of a master plan to boost wider economic growth and revive the UK’s dismal productivity figures. Despite disappointment in response to last week’s Budget from parts of the clean energy industry after the Treasury revealed there would be no new support for renewables until 2025, the Industrial Strategy seeks to position “clean growth” as one of the plan’s four major pillars. It sets out four ‘Grand Challenges’ as focus areas for action: artificial intelligence, clean growth, future of mobility and an ageing society. Action on these fronts will “put the UK at the forefront of the industries of the future, ensuring the UK takes advantage of major global changes, improving people’s lives and the country’s productivity”, according to the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Progress against the ‘Grand Challenges’ will be tracked by experts from business and academia under the leadership of a “Business Champion”, who together with government ministers will set “missions” to tackle specific problems such as cutting carbon emissions.
Business Green 27th Nov 2017 read more »
