Following the second reading of Great British Energy Bill to the House of Commons on Thursday 5 September by Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Bill is now approved and is being reviewed by a committee. It will be progressed further through the legislative process.  Here we look at the Bill in more detail and discuss its significance to our sector.

The Scope of the Great British Energy Bill

The Great British Energy Bill directly ties into the Government’s aims for the UK to become a “clean energy superpower” and have clean power by 2030. The Bill will help the Government to establish Great British Energy (GBE), a publicly owned and operationally independent energy company with aims including the creation of new green jobs, increased energy independence for the UK, and reduced energy bills.

GBE is set to have five key functions:

• Project investment and ownership – investing in energy projects alongside the private sector in order to get them off the ground
• Project development – leading projects through development stages to speed up their delivery, aiming to provide better value for the public
• Community energy – supporting local energy generation projects through working with local authorities, combined authorities, and communities across the UK
• Supply chains – building supply chains across the UK with the aim of boosting energy independence and creating jobs
• Great British Nuclear – exploring how GBE and Great British Nuclear will work together, including considering how their respective functions will fit together

Why is GBE relevant to the consulting engineering and environmental services sectors?

As major contributors to green energy innovation and environmental sustainability in the UK, our members  are ideally placed and ready use their significant expertise and experience to aid the Government in driving the UK’s transition to a cleaner, cheaper and more independent energy landscape. Our members particularly welcome that:

• GBE will invest in significant major infrastructure projects, boosting the green energy capabilities of the UK, providing thousands of job opportunities and driving economic growth.
• The work of GBE will involve significant collaboration between the public and private sectors, meaning expertise and innovation can be shared, risk can be reduced, and the green energy transition can be accelerated.
• GBE will invest in projects that utilise innovative and emerging technologies such as floating offshore wind, carbon capture and tidal power, enhancing energy security and positioning the UK as a world leader in green energy.
• The operational independence of GBE should aid it in avoiding the change that can come with political cycles, allowing for stable, long-term planning of large infrastructure projects and pipeline certainty.

Our policy team briefed MPs in advance of the Second Reading of the GBE Bill to highlight our expertise and the risks and opportunities presented by the Bill. We flagged the importance of considering the key factors that could prevent the full benefits of GBE being realised, including skills shortages, inadequate funding and insufficient grid infrastructure.

We will be monitoring the progression of the Bill closely and are ready to work with the Government to ensure supportive policies that enable  our members’ inclusion in planning and delivering the green energy transition. Following scrutinisation, the Public Bill Committee is expected to report to the House of Commons on Tuesday 15 October.