Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the UK, stated at the Virtual Conservative Party Conference 2020 that a large fund will be dedicated to green infrastructure and wind farm facilities will be established.
The aim of the government is to make UK "the world leader in clean wind energy". $207 million will be provided to ports and wind turbine factories and 2,000 job opportunities will be created. In addition, more than 60,000 people working in relative occupations will be financially supported by the endeavor.
The future capacity of offshore wind power was planned to reach 30GW but, current estimates make plans for 40GW by 2030.
A new generation of wind turbines will be developed. The facilities will be able to generate multiple times more power than current offshore units. Moreover, new technologies will help wind farms to be established in deeper waters where winds are more powerful.
Recently, the government received criticism over its green policy during the coronavirus pandemic. Some believe that the plan to make the country neutral in terms of carbon emissions by 2050 is failing. Nevertheless, a 10-point commitment plan has been established to create a green industrial revolution. “Now, as we build back better we must build back greener. So we are committing to new ambitious targets and investment into wind power to accelerate our progress towards net zero emissions by 2050. This sets us on our path towards a green industrial revolution, which will provide tens of thousands of highly-skilled jobs,” Boris Johnson said in a statement.
The Prime Minister compared UK's wind power potential generation with Saudi Arabia's oil production. “As Saudi Arabia is to oil, the UK is to wind – a place of almost limitless resource, but in the case of wind without the carbon emissions and without the damage to the environment,” Boris Johnson added.
The race to make the country fully decarbonized will not be over assuming that the project is successful. The electricity demand of residences accounts for 33% of the UK's total power demand. Therefore, more alternatives must emerge. Onshore wind farms, geothermal energy, hydropower and solar energy could provide some of the extra power needed.
Caterina Brandmayr, a Policy Analyst at Green Alliance, mentioned that UK's businesses must also move towards more sustainable and greener projects for infrastructure. Later in 2020, the government is expected to accelerate the switch to electric cars. Petrol and diesel cars will not be sold by 2030.
Sources: TheGuardian, BBC, Theengineer, CNN
