Government announces new clean energy investment: comment
Government announces £300 million investment in clean energy
By Jess Ralston
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Commenting on a new £300 million investment in clean energy from the Government announced at the opening of a Summit on the Future of Energy Security, hosted by the UK Government and International Energy Agency [1], Jess Ralston, analyst at the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), said:
"The UK's dependence on gas for both electricity generation and home heating has made it especially vulnerable to the price spikes that have caused bills for families to soar over recent years [2]. Like households, our industries have been suffering from high gas prices too. This dependence has cost the UK dear, with £140bn spent on gas so far during the crisis while taxpayers forked out another £50bn on emergency bill support.
“The regulator is clear that new drilling in the North Sea would only make a marginal difference to gas production and, as it’s sold to the highest bidder, wouldn’t have any real impact on our bills. As more wind and solar are built our electricity is becoming more British even as gas production declines [3]. By installing electric heat pumps that run off British electricity, we’re helping people heat homes while increasingly shielding them from the meddling of foreign actors like Putin."
Notes to editors:
1. IEA Summit on the Future of Energy Security: https://www.iea.org/events/summit-on-the-future-of-energy-security
2. The Energy Crisis Commission found that the a heavy reliance on gas for both heating and power has left the UK ‘critically vulnerable’ to price spikes: https://energycrisiscommission.uk/
3. UK electricity ‘becoming more British’, less import dependent – analysis: https://eciu.net/media/press-releases/2025/uk-electricity-becoming-more-british-less-import-dependent-analysis
For more information or for interview requests:
George Smeeton, Head of Communications, ECIU, Tel: 07894 571 153, email: george.smeeton@eciu.net