Merlin Hyman, chief executive at Regen, prophesies the upcoming net zero policy announcements following the Prime Ministers ‘wind’ speech in early October.
No. 10 has announced that the Prime Minister will shortly launch a “10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution” which will provide the overall high level net zero goals under which more detailed plans and strategies will sit. One point to note from this is that in the current climate, the overall framing of action on net zero by government is in terms of jobs and investment.
Looking at what has been trailed in the press and what will be required for the UK to have a strong carbon reduction story, we’ve had a go at predicting what some of those “10 Points” might be:
- The ban on fossil-fuelled cars being brought forward to 2030 or 2032
- A major increase in ambition on renewable heat, with a target to increase heat pump deployment by an order of magnitude. One mechanism to deliver this could be a green heat obligation on gas suppliers
- A target for hydrogen production
- A focus on preparing energy networks for zero carbon
- A new announcement on green finance – such as a ‘green sovereign bond’
- Continued support for nuclear energy – with support for Sizewell C.
The headline plan will be followed by more detail in the long-awaited Energy White Paper, Heat and Buildings Strategy and Transport Decarbonisation Plan. We’ll be assessing these as they come, discussing with you through events, including our Green Recovery series, running throughout the autumn.
Earlier this month, we sent a members’ update with further details of the expected measures, you can view this online here. Our Regen and ESN members benefit from being the first to understand the impacts of any changes in the industry, receiving timely policy and regulatory updates. You can find out more about membership opportunities here.