Offshore wind, hydrogen, large and small nuclear energy, clean transport and carbon capture are all part of Boris Johnson’s ten-point plan for a green industrial revolution in the UK, details of which were released late on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister said the government will invest GBP 12 billion (EUR 13.4bn/USD 16bn) under the plan, expecting private sector investment by 2030 to triple that. This blueprint supports the UK’s net-zero goal by 2050.
Johnson also outlined an ambition to make the City of London the global centre of green finance.
Energy
As announced in early October, reaching 40 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, enough to power every home in the UK, is one of the goals of the plan. In addition, the UK will pour GBO 500 million in hydrogen, targeting 5 GW of low-carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030 for industry, transport, power and homes, and GBP 525 million in large- and small-scale nuclear energy and advanced modular reactors.
About GBP 240 million of the hydrogen funding will go into new hydrogen production facilities, while the government will also support trials of hydrogen use for domestic heating and cooking. The UK will aim to develop the first hydrogen-heated town by 2030, starting with a hydrogen neighbourhood in 2023 and a hydrogen village by 2025.
Transport
The UK will end the sale of new cars and vans running on petrol and diesel by 2030, ten years earlier than planned. The sale of hybrid vehicles will be allowed until 2035.
Meanwhile, GBP 1.3 billion will be invested to speed up the rollout of chargepoints for electric vehicles in homes, streets and on motorways across England. A total of GBP 582 million in grants will incentivise the purchase of zero or ultra-low emission vehicles. Almost GBP 500 million will be invested in the development and mass-scale production of electric vehicle batteries in the next four years.
Boris Johnson also said the government will work to boost the attractiveness of cycling and walking, and invest in zero-emission public transport.
Emissions
The UK will aim to become a world-leader in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. It will aim to remove 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 2030.
An extra GBP 200 million of new funding has been announced for two carbon capture clusters by the mid-2020s, while two more are set to be created by 2030. With this, the total amount invested in carbon capture will reach GBP 1 billion.
The government is also planning to fund research projects for zero-emission planes and ships, plant 30,000 hectares of trees every year, and boost the energy efficiency of homes, schools and hospitals. The plan blueprint a target to install 600,000 heat pumps every year by 2028.
Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson ratifies the Paris agreement
