Renewable energy must 'show benefit' to local people in net zero drive, says GB Energy boss

Jurgen Maier, the chairman of Great British Energy, has emphasised the importance of new clean power projects bringing benefits to local communities as the UK hastens its journey towards net zero.

Speaking at the CBI's annual conference, Maier highlighted that policymakers must "take communities with us" in the shift to green energy.

His remarks come amid Labour's efforts to decarbonise Britain’s power grid by the decade's end, necessitating a significant increase in pylons and wind farms, particularly in rural areas, to satisfy the rising energy demand.

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The push for greener energy has already faced resistance, with legal challenges earlier this year against proposals for a solar farm in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, although these were subsequently withdrawn. Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, has pledged to confront those who oppose the deployment of new turbines and pylons, framing it as an issue of "national security" and "economic justice".

As the government considers changes to the planning system to expedite green energy projects, Mr Maier told ministers they must "put an infrastructure and planning Bill through but actually you do have to go through planning and take communities with us".

He added: "We want to invest in community energy schemes, local power schemes... to show we can pass some of the benefits of this great renewable energy on to our consumers, which I don’t think we’ve done enough of yet."

Based in Aberdeen, GB Energy has been highlighted as a vital component of Labour's green energy plan during the general election.

The state-backed entity is set to funnel investments into both onshore and offshore wind projects, among other initiatives, to catalyse private sector funding in this area, with a substantial £8.3 billion of public funds earmarked for development over the forthcoming five years.

Mr Maier described this initiative as "a three party partnership. It’s the private sector predominantly, it’s the public sector, and it’s community".