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Britain is “firmly on track” to meet its clean power targets for 2030, according to the government following a record offshore wind auction.
It has awarded contracts to supply 8.4 gigawatts (GW) of new offshore wind power – enough to power 12 million homes.
The auction is part of efforts to ease the country away from volatile and polluting natural gas, but the strike price of £90.91 represents an increase of 11% on contracts agreed last year.
The target of a clean power grid by 2030 requires at least 43GW of operational offshore wind but the price increase will stoke political debate over the rising costs of renewables and the economic impact of high energy prices.
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Energy Secretary Ed Miliband welcomed the results and said they would help reduce the UK’s exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices, specifically gas, which triggered the energy bill shock following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“With these results, Britain is taking back control of our energy sovereignty”, he said.
“This is a historic win for those who want Britain to stand on our own two feet, controlling our own energy rather than depending on markets controlled by petrostates and dictators.
“It is a monumental step towards clean power by 2030 and the price secured in this auction is 40% lower than the alternative cost of building and operating a new gas plant.
“Clean, homegrown, power is the right choice for this country to bring down bills for good and this auction will create thousands of jobs throughout Britain.”
His Conservative opposite number, Claire Coutinho, accused the government of an energy smokescreen.
She responded: “Labour promised to cut people’s energy bills by £300, but Ed Miliband has just locked every family in Britain into higher energy bills for decades.
“These are the highest prices for offshore wind in a decade and higher than the current cost of electricity. If you think your bills are too high, this won’t…
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