Government announces 10-point green plan, totalling 250,000 new jobs

Just this week, the UK Prime Minister announced plans for the government’s green industrial revolution. In addition to drawing praise from environmental groups, the plan has also raised questions around the scale of new funding, and the planned expansion of nuclear and hydrogen power.

It’s thought that this new 10-point plan could create up to 250,000 new jobs, with the majority of the focus aimed at the Midlands, North of England, Scotland and Wales.

The new measures are a notable step forward for tackling climate change

One of the points in the new 10-point plan is the pledge to end the sale of petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, which is 10 years ahead of the previous schedule. A second existing promise is to quadruple the amount of offshore wind power capacity within a decade.

Greenpeace has said that these new measures mark a notable step forward in the fight against climate change, saying: “This landmark announcement signals the end of the road for polluting cars and vans and a historic turning point on climate action.”

The 10-point plan comprises:

• A ban on combustion engine sales by 2030, with grants for electric cars and funding for charge points. The sale of some hybrid cars and vans will continue until 2035
• A pledge to quadruple offshore wind power to 40GW by 2030 – enough to power every UK home
• Moves to boost hydrogen production, with the aim of a town heated entirely by hydrogen by the end of the decade
• Investment of £525m towards new nuclear power, based on “the next generation of small and advanced reactors”
• £1bn next year for funds to insulate homes and public buildings, using the existing green homes grant and public sector decarbonisation scheme
• An extra £200m invested in carbon capture initiatives
• Support for greener energies in the aviation and maritime sectors, with £20m committed to the latter
• 30,000 hectares of trees planted every year, as part of nature conservation efforts
• Moves to promote public transport, cycling, walking – though no specific schemes were announced
• A pledge to make London “the global centre of green finance”

It’s thought that the above plan represents a clear statement of intent from the government, and gives a springboard to the huge opportunities for UK-wide investment and green jobs that a true low-carbon economy can bring.

The UK executive director of the National Grid said, “The prime minister has set out great ambition for the net zero transition including commitments on offshore wind, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage. We also welcome the earlier ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles and the support for the rollout of electric vehicles which will help improve the country’s air quality. Now, the industry and the government must work together to turn this ambition into reality, with transformational investments to deliver real change, which will create jobs in every part of the country.”

At Boss Energy, we’re excited to see the rollout of this plan, and will be watching as the points mentioned are implemented. And as always, we’ll be working with key players in the industry to provide talented candidates with new job roles, and clients with the best recruits for their job vacancies.