If we’re going to meet the UK’s climate commitments and the Government’s net zero targets, we must create a green energy network. A network that can transport more renewable and low carbon energy to our homes and businesses.
Offshore wind projects and other low carbon and renewable energy sources have a critical role to play in meeting these targets. The Government’s ambition is for offshore wind to generate enough energy to power every home in the country by 2030. Around 60% of current offshore wind projects are looking to connect their energy onshore along the East Coast.
With this comes real opportunity. The communities along the East Coast of England, such as East Anglia, are perfectly placed to embrace the economic opportunities that cleaner, greener sources of energy will provide.
By working together, we can create a legacy across the region for generations to come. To deliver net zero, new skills will be needed, new careers will be created and there will be opportunities for our children for years to come. Perhaps their future jobs don’t even exist yet.
Earlier this year, the government announced that the UK had already generated 68,000 green jobs and attracted £22 billion in private investment, which included more than £1.6 billion in advancing offshore wind this year alone.
Developers and energy companies are already investing in green projects in areas such as East Anglia. The East of England is set to become a centre of excellence for offshore wind, which presents East Anglia with the opportunity to become a green energy hub.
Tackling climate change and transitioning to a net zero future offers huge opportunities for job creation.
Our own research found that the UK needs to fill 400,000 jobs in the energy sector in the next thirty years to deliver net zero by 2050. The government estimates that the offshore wind sector could support around 90,000 jobs by the end of this decade.
We want to help make that happen and equip people with the skills that are needed to make the transition to net zero. That’s why we are extending our Grid for Good programme, working with charity partners in the regions where we are operating, to deliver education, training, and skills development. We will also work with suppliers to develop opportunities for local employment and to bring benefit to the local economy through our projects.
In areas where we are delivering network investments, we work with schools and local authorities to inspire the next generation.
On one of our projects we have worked with social enterprise ‘Connectr’ to deliver an ambitious five-year programme that will reach over 100,000 pupils. These pupils will benefit from our pioneering Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) skills and outreach programme. We hope to attract diverse talent, inspiring the next generation to pursue a career in the energy sector and help fill the 400,000 jobs to meet its Net Zero targets by 2050.
We need to strengthen the network here to increase the network capability in the region to carry the clean green energy that is proposed in East Anglia.
National Grid Electricity Transmission is currently developing proposals for Sea Link, a new planned high voltage undersea electricity link between Suffolk and Kent.
The East Anglia Green Energy Enablement project is a proposal to build a new high voltage network reinforcement between Norwich, Bramford and Tilbury.