Letter from the Secretary of State to the UK Offshore Wind Champion setting out the government's response to the report
Published 5 April 2023
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Tim Pick
UK Offshore Wind Champion
5 April 2023
Dear Tim,
I am writing to thank you for the submission of your independent report as the UK’s Offshore Wind Champion, which outlines opportunities to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind. As offshore wind provides secure, domestically generated electricity, it will play a key role in our energy security, decarbonising the UK power system by 2035, achieving net zero by 2050, and creating thousands of new jobs around the country.
With the most installed capacity in Europe, the UK is a world-leader when it comes to offshore wind, being home to the first, second, third and fourth largest offshore windfarms in the world. The government has made real progress delivering the ambitions set out in the British Energy Security Strategy and is committed to accelerating deployment to develop up to 50GW of offshore wind by 2030, with up to 5GW from innovative floating wind.
The recent ‘Powering up Britain’ plan is another significant step forwards. It reaffirmed this commitment, including through the launch of the Floating Offshore Wind Investment Scheme, which will provide up to £160 million to kick start investment in port infrastructure projects needed to support our floating offshore wind ambitions. The government also launched its consultation on revising the energy National Policy Statements to ensure they fully reflect the strategic importance of new energy infrastructure for delivering the UK’s energy security and affordability, and to deliver on Net Zero.
It is within this context that I welcome your report, which has come at a critical time and offers useful recommendations to make use of the opportunities available in accelerating the deployment of offshore wind. It is evident that you have spent a considerable amount of time and effort engaging the offshore wind industry, its supply chain, and wider stakeholders to provide this report and these recommendations.
Recognising that the report represents the culmination of 10 months of extensive engagement through the ‘Offshore Wind Acceleration Taskforce’ that you have chaired alongside the Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, the government will carefully consider the recommendations within. I also wish to thank the members of the taskforce and the many other stakeholders for their valuable contributions.
I welcome and would like to highlight the recommendations for industry within the report. The private sector will be critical in accelerating the deployment of offshore wind, and government and industry will need to work closely together to realise its full potential. In this report you have offered a positive vision for how this can be done through the reinvigoration of the ‘Offshore Wind Industry Council’ as the interface between government and industry.
Thank you again for your work as the UK’s offshore wind champion, this timely report and your recommendations.
Yours sincerely,
RT Hon Grant Shapps MP
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero