UK Wind Energy Auction’s - A Disaster?
The latest governmental auction for additional offshore windfarms in the UK has received no bids. Investors commented on their bid omissions with rhetoric centred on the cost not factoring in price inflations - The Guardian (2023) reports that the maximum price set in this auction (£44 per megawatt hour) was based on a 2012 pricing scheme.
The inability to provide the UK with fresh wind energy projects has provided a depth of insecurity in the energy sector around its dependability on fossil fuel resources, a worry that will manifest in households across the UK as energy prices potentially become more volatile. Big Help Project is concerned for the population who are less resistant to these fluctuations in energy prices – in 2022 the organisation provided Warm Hubs across the Liverpool City Region, providing a space for community members to ensure their warmth whilst using the service. Big Help Project also recognises the impact this outcome will have on communities in the UK who look to offshore wind as an industry to reignite employment rates. This news goes nowhere in providing reassurance or employment for UK citizens, a landmark of failure in the battle against energy prices and employment opportunities.
“Remaining on the cusp of new-found techniques and mechanisms of ecological progression is vital to finding footing in the shifting sands of environmental protection.”
It is inevitable that the outcome of this auction will have damning effects on the nation’s 2050 Net-zero pledge to cut carbon emissions. This of course plays into the larger discourse surrounding the ability to mitigate climate change concern, a duty that appears to be on hold in the arena of UK offshore wind production. The refusal to update the UK’s offshore wind capacity opens up debate around the vitality attached to the UK’s pledge to ascertain net-zero amidst global warming pressures around the globe (e.g., 2023 European heatwaves). A continuation to rely on carbon emitting resources is central to climate change exacerbation that is impacting both local scales and global scales with devastating consequences.
Big Help Project remains targeted in its approach to delivering environmental sustainability, ensuring that its organisational practice remains as a benchmark for Third Sector operation. As part of this promise is a willingness to constantly and consistently provide updates in the environmental sector as well as seek best practices to reduce Big Help Project’s footprint. Remaining on the cusp of new-found techniques and mechanisms of ecological progression is vital to finding footing in the shifting sands of environmental protection.
Sources:
The Guardian (2023) “UK’s net zero ambitions at risk after ‘disastrous’ offshore wind auction”. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/10/uks-net-zero-ambitions-at-risk-after-disastrous-offshore-wind-auction (Accessed: September 15, 2023).