‘Labour’s historic delivery of offshore wind means energy will be cheaper, cleaner and better for consumers and communities’

Today’s historic results from the latest offshore wind auction shows the difference a Labour government can make to our communities.

After months of our opponents on the right casting doubt on the benefits of clean power, the results announced today, alongside new analysis on costings are emphatic: we have secured a record amount of clean power at a price that is significantly lower than that of building and operating new gas fired power plants.

The results announced today mean offshore wind in every corner of the country, from Dogger Bank off the Yorkshire coast, to Awel y Mor in Wales, to Berwick Bank in the North Sea.

Labour is delivering our historic promise made at the last election, to deliver energy security through clean power, and bring down bills for good.

READ MORE: ’25 years of offshore wind shows what can be achieved by energy and climate ambition’

We made that promise in the shadow of the cost of living crisis that was, and still is, affecting so many families across our country today.

As Russia invaded Ukraine, the failure by successive Tory governments to invest in our energy system was laid bare.

Households from the Highlands to Cornwall were left to pick up the tab through eye-wateringly high energy bills, and still today face bills that are significantly higher than before the crisis.

At the general election we vowed to never let this happen again, and today we take a significant step forwards in meeting that commitment.

Not only have we secured enough projects to power the equivalent of over 12 million homes, but we are also getting ahead in floating offshore wind, an emerging technology in which we can be a leader here in the UK.

With two successful floating wind projects in the North Sea and Celtic Sea, we are delivering where previous Tory governments failed.

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I am particularly pleased to see the Pentland project in Scotland secure a contract, building on the backing it has been given by Great British Energy and the National Wealth Fund.

Taken together, the results we are announcing today will support 6,000 highly skilled jobs in every corner of the country, backed by £22bn in private investment going into our communities.

This is on the back of more than £60bn of private investment that we have secured since coming to office.

While our opponents peddle false arguments around cost, today we are also publishing definitive evidence that clean power is the cheaper option when compared to new gas fired power stations.

This analysis shows that the projects secured today are as much as 40% cheaper than the cost of building and operating new gas capacity in the energy system.

Not only that, but the overall results for all technologies in AR7 will contribute to lower bills for households compared to today.

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We were elected with a clear mission to end the cost of living crisis facing families, secure our energy system and create the jobs our communities so urgently need.

Today we take a significant step forwards in delivering on that promise to the British people.

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