The UK government is to publish a white paper later this year on how it believes it can meet its recent promise to become a net-zero-carbon nation by 2050, a junior energy minister revealed today.

The government had come under criticism for announcing the 2050 target without explaining how the UK could get there.

Lord Henley, the parliamentary undersecretary of state for energy at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, told the Global Offshore Wind conference in London: “We intend to publish later this year an energy white paper setting our vision for the energy system up to the year 2050.

“The offshore wind sector is obviously going to be essential in helping us to realise that 2050 ambition — both in decarbonising our energy supply and in demonstrating to consumers here and abroad that meeting net zero can mean new jobs and new growth.

“That, I believe, is why that [offshore wind] sector deal… published in March this year is key.”

The UK government earlier this year agreed a 'sector deal' with the offshore wind industry designed to spur deployment of at least 30GW by 2030, supplying one-third of the nation's power.

Henley hinted that the white paper would prioritise “bringing people with us”, in what was perhaps a nod to the UK government’s current unfavourable policies towards onshore wind farms.

“As of last year, a third of the electricity we used came from renewables sources. Obviously we’re going to need to accelerate that to meet that net zero [target]. It’s not going to be easy but we also need to do that while protecting the economy, protecting consumers and bringing people with us.

“We need to provide — the government and within the industry — the right leadership, explain why there’s a factory, take people with us. It is not something we can force people on.”

Transition

UK white paper to set out net-zero 'vision': minister