Prime Minister launches major boost for UK clean energy industry
Source: gov.uk (2025-04-23)

Prime Minister brings forward £300 million for Great British Energy to invest in offshore wind supply chains ahead of the Future of Energy Security summit.

- Prime Minister brings forward an initial £300 million investment ahead of Spending Review through Great British Energy to win global offshore wind investment for the UK
- Fund will boost domestic jobs, mobilise additional private investment, and secure manufacturing facilities for critical clean energy supply chains like floating offshore platforms
- Prime Minister and Energy Secretary to announce pro-investment plans at major international summit bringing together governments and industry from around the world to drive collective energy security
Communities across the country will benefit from new investment in domestic clean energy supply chains – driving economic growth and supporting thousands of jobs through the Plan for Change.

Workers and businesses in the UK’s industrial heartlands will benefit from an initial £300 million of funding through Great British Energy to invest in supply chains for domestic offshore wind. It is expected that the investment will directly and indirectly mobilise billions in additional private investment - helping de-risk clean energy projects and supporting thousands of jobs and revitalising the UK’s industrial heartlands.

The public investment complements the £43 billion of private investment pledged for clean energy projects since July.

Britain’s engineers, technicians, and welders are being backed by this fast-tracked funding, brought forward by the Prime Minister ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review, which will allow Great British Energy, the country’s publicly-owned clean energy company, to invest in new supply chains for offshore wind manufacturing components such as floating offshore platforms and cables. This builds on the government’s landmark investment in domestic supply chains through initiatives such as the Clean Industry Bonus and the National Wealth Fund.

As part of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy, which will turbocharge growth in the UK’s key sectors including clean energy, the new investment in domestic offshore wind is part of the Prime Minister’s drive to ensure that the clean energy future is ‘built in Britain’. The funding will ensure that the nation builds resilient domestic supply chains for components which are essential to delivering clean power by 2030.

It comes after the Prime Minister said that a new era of global insecurity means that the government must go further and faster in reshaping the economy through the Plan for Change, and that this requires a new muscular industrial policy that supports British industry to forge ahead.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

Delivering the Plan for Change means winning the race for the clean energy jobs of the future, which will drive growth and help us reach clean power by 2030.

That is why I am bringing forward much-needed investment in our domestic offshore wind supply chains, strengthening our security and creating good jobs for our welders, electricians, and engineers.

Let my message to the world go out: come and build the clean energy future in Britain.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:

It is only by taking back control of our energy that we can protect families and businesses from the rollercoaster of global markets we don’t control.

That is why this government is doubling down on our clean energy superpower mission - driving economic growth, good jobs and investment across our country.

The Prime Minister, ministers and business leaders will gather in London today for the 2-day summit on the Future of Energy Security – hosted by the UK government and International Energy Agency – as countries take action to protect themselves from future energy shocks in these unstable times. Leaders from around the world, including the President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen, will come together to address the global challenges and opportunities of speeding up the clean energy transition.

The Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, the Minister for Investment Baroness Poppy Gustafsson, National Wealth Fund CEO John Flint and Great British Energy Chair Juergen Maier will today write to global clean energy developers and investors inviting them to invest here in Britain (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/build-it-in-britain-invitation-to-clean-energy-developers-and-investors). It follows the government announcing a series of pro-growth measures including major reforms to speed up grid connections and overhaul planning rules.

Dan McGrail, interim CEO of Great British Energy, said:

Great British Energy will help the UK win the global race for clean energy jobs and growth by investing in homegrown supply chains and ensuring key infrastructure parts are made here in Britain.

We will work closely with businesses across the clean energy sector to get funding out as fast as possible and get projects off the ground.

Deputy CEO of RenewableUK, Jane Cooper, said,

There’s a huge opportunity for the UK to secure thousands of new jobs and supply chain investment in the sector, which will make our home-grown energy supply even more secure.

The Prime Minister’s funding will be critical to ensuring the UK grasps the industrial opportunities in the offshore wind supply chain, at a time of intense global competition for clean energy investment. By nurturing existing UK companies, and ensuring we’re a competitive location for international investors, there’s an opportunity to triple our manufacturing capacity over the next decade, adding £25 billion to the UK economy and creating an additional 10,000 jobs in the supply chain.

This new government funding is a clear signal of intent to secure those priorities and is vital to unlocking further co-investment from industry.

Darren Davidson, Vice President of Siemens Energy UK&I, said:

We support the government’s investment in the offshore wind sector to boost energy security and help maintain and create green jobs in the UK’s energy sector. The government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan was launched at our offshore wind blade factory Hull at the end of last year. Today’s announcement is another significant boost for the UK’s energy supply chain.

Richard Sandford, Chair of the Offshore Wind Industry Council, said:

We are pleased that the government has taken up the industry’s offer to work together on an Industrial Growth Plan for offshore wind. The offshore wind industry has worked hard to develop a deep understanding of where the UK could secure new supply chain investment and be internationally competitive. We have the opportunity to create thousands of new jobs in the UK, by focusing on advanced turbine technology, foundations and substructures, cables, smart environmental services, operations and maintenance.

This funding reflects the reality that aspiration needs to be backed with action when it comes to offshore wind supply chain development. It will unlock new discussions about further collaboration between industry and government ahead of the Industrial Strategy.

The funding for supply chains will be made available as part of the £8.3 billion for Great British Energy over this parliament, with individual companies able to apply for grants if they can show that they will produce long-term investments in UK supply chains.

Great British Energy, the country’s publicly-owned clean energy company, will produce a return on investment for the British people, and ensure British billpayers reap the benefits of clean, secure, home-grown energy. This first phase of grant funding is needed to capture investment now and reap benefits of jobs and growth.

Notes to editors

More details on the £43 billion announced since July can be found here: Clean energy projects prioritised for grid connections (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/clean-energy-projects-prioritised-for-grid-connections) .

Great British Energy’s supply chain fund is expected to be open for applications by the end of the year, with an initial £300 million available for offshore wind schemes over this Parliament. Further details on criteria and eligibility will be published in due course.

The investment comes in the context of the 2024 Industrial Growth Plan, in which the Offshore Wind Industry Council proposed to match fund £300 million of grant investment in the UK’s supply chains with private sector investment.