UK Energy White Paper complements Prime Minister's Ten Point Plan and the National Infrastructure StrategyDecember 2020

Plans to support up to 220,000 British jobs, and keep bills affordable as we transition to net zero by 2050.

The UK government today set out ambitious plans to clean up our energy system, support up to 220,000 British jobs, and keep bills affordable as we transition to net zero by 2050.

Building on the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, the Energy White Paper sets out specific steps the government will take over the next decade to cut emissions from industry, transport, and buildings by 230 million metric tonnes – equivalent to taking 7.5 million petrol cars off the road permanently – while supporting hundreds of thousands of new green jobs.

Business and Energy Secretary Alok Sharma said:

  • "Today’s plan establishes a decisive and permanent shift away from our dependence on fossil fuels, towards cleaner energy sources that will put our country at the forefront of the global green industrial revolution."
  • "Through a major programme of investment and reform, we are determined to both decarbonise our economy in the most cost-effective way, while creating new sunrise industries and revitalising our industrial heartlands that will support new green jobs for generations to come."
  • "At every step of the way, we will place affordability and fairness at the heart of our reforms - unleashing a wave of competition so consumers get the best deals possible on their bills, while protecting the vulnerable and fuel poor with additional financial support."
  • "With this long-term plan, we are turning climate ambition into climate action - putting the UK firmly on the course to net zero to end our contribution to climate change as we build back greener."

Alongside the Energy White Paper, the government has also confirmed that it is to enter negotiations with EDF in relation to the Sizewell C project in Suffolk as it considers options to enable investment in at least one nuclear power station by the end of this Parliament. If the project proceeds, it could create thousands of new jobs during construction and operation.

The Energy White Paper builds further on the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for clean energy, transport, nature and innovative technologies, as part of  plans to forge ahead with eradicating its contribution to climate change by 2050, particularly crucial in the run up to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow next year.

At the centre of the Ten Point Plan are the UK’s industrial heartlands, including in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, Scotland and Wales, which will drive forward the green industrial revolution and build green jobs and industries of the future