Commenting on the £52 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund announcement made today, Mike Foster, CEO of Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA) said: 

“Industry needs support to decarbonise, otherwise as a country we risk shutting down our economy to meet our net zero targets. Decarbonisation must never be equated with deindustrialisation.

The nature of that support will be as varied as the wide range of businesses that are out there, producing goods to buy or export, keeping Brits in work and earning tax revenues to fund our public services.

The aim should also be to find solutions where businesses are based, not suggest massive upheavals and mass relocation of industry to where Whitehall thinks it should go. That’s why keeping the gas infrastructure in place is so important. Decarbonising the gas, with hydrogen or biomethane or fitting carbon capture facilities will help deliver what industry needs. That’s why we should welcome this announcement.”