Why green power will bring down energy bills for good

The whole time we are reliant on the international fossil-fuel market, we are subject to household bill price hikes, writes energy secretary Ed Miliband. Homegrown clean energy is the surefire way to protect the families and businesses of Britain

Families and businesses have seen their energy bills rocket in the years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And this week, energy bills have risen once again as a direct consequence of the latest spike in global gas prices.

I know this is a worrying time for families, which is why the government is doing everything it can to support those struggling with their bills – bringing forward proposals to expand the £150 warm home discount to around 6 million households next winter, and upgrading thousands of homes so they are warmer and cheaper to heat.

But the reality is, as long as we are exposed to the rollercoaster of international fossil fuel markets, we will be deeply vulnerable to this kind of price spike. The only way to protect families and businesses in the long term is to sprint to clean homegrown power that we control – so we can increase our energy independence and bring down bills for good.

This is a huge economic opportunity for Britain, with our plans for clean power by 2030 unlocking £40bn a year of mostly private investment for the rest of the decade. That’s why, since taking office, we’ve been moving at speed to deliver the energy security Britain needs, granting consent for nearly three times as much solar power in nine months as in the previous 14 years combined, and delivering a record number of clean energy projects in our last renewables auction.

These projects will create thousands of good jobs for builders, technicians, and engineers across the country, driving growth as part of our plan for change. Britain’s net zero economy is booming. Recent figures from the CBI show that the net zero economy grew three times faster than the economy as a whole last year – with employment in the sector up by over 10 per cent.

And today, we have taken another step forward by granting consent for the Rampion offshore wind farm. This will secure 1.2GW of clean electricity – enough to power 1 million homes – while supporting an estimated 4,000 jobs in construction.

The strong winds around our island nation make Britain one of the best places in the world for offshore wind. Harnessing our significant natural energy resources can help free our country from the grip of petrostates and dictators like Vladimir Putin. This decision also means that in nine months, we have now given consent for enough clean power for nearly 2 million homes, creating an estimated 9,000 jobs to deliver it.

I know some people oppose our plans to build clean energy in this country. But every wind turbine, solar panel and piece of grid infrastructure we construct helps to protect families and businesses from future fossil-fuel shocks.

Today’s decision, along with our wider reforms to the grid connection queue, will pave the way for wind farms to be built faster. This is how we deliver energy security, protect bill-payers, create good jobs and drive economic growth for the British people today, while helping to protect our children and grandchildren from climate disaster.

That is what the prime minister’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower is all about.

Ed Miliband is the business and energy secretary and the Labour MP for Doncaster North