The shadow minister made the announcement today at RenewableUK’s annual Offshore Wind conference in Manchester.
Tom Greatrex said: “Labour will continue to push for a 2030 target as it’s absolutely crucial to give the renewable energy sector for long term certainty. Today I can announce that that if we don’t get that target set in the Energy Bill, it will be in Labour’s manifesto for the next General Election.”
He added: “Offshore wind has huge potential and can be an important part of our energy sector in the future.”
The announcement was welcomed by RenewableUK’s chief executive Maria McCaffery, who said: “This announcement by the shadow energy minister at our conference is very welcome, as it demonstrates a clear commitment to clean up the way we generate electricity as early as possible. RenewableUK hopes that all political parties will appreciate the necessity for this, so that a cross-party consensus can be reached swiftly to set a 2030 decarbonisation target. This would send a strong signal to the wind, wave and tidal energy industries, and crucially to investors, to press ahead with projects as a matter of priority.”