SMS responds to Government’s Energy White Paper
As leaders of the smart energy revolution, SMS stands ready to provide the expertise, innovation, and investment needed to meet the net-zero challenge, whilst creating jobs and supporting regional economic growth along the way.
The UK Government’s long-awaited Energy White Paper (published 14 December 2020) provides an important next step in our plans to reach our net-zero emissions target, and sends a signal to the world that the UK is ready to lead the fight against climate change as it prepares to host the United Nations COP26 summit in Glasgow next year.
Building on the Prime Minister’s 10-point plan announced last month, the Paper gives extra context as to how Government plans to transform the UK’s power and heating systems and cut emissions from industry, transport and buildings to support the overall net-zero 2050 goal.
Whilst the ambitious commitments outlined in the Energy White Paper are highly welcome, giving further clarity to companies like ours who are investing to deliver the country’s decarbonisation programme, we expect further consultations on these measures in 2021 to provide more concrete policy detail that is needed to carry out net zero as quickly and effectively as possible.
Though we are pleased to see the Energy White Paper progress the discussion on what is required to realise the zero-carbon transition, we must not lose sight of the fact that action is needed now to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change, and that there is an unquestionable urgency to decarbonise the energy sector in a way that creates jobs and supports green economic growth.
As leaders of the smart energy revolution in the UK – having invested significant resources over the past quarter of a century to develop strong industrial partnerships and establish a fully integrated low-carbon asset installation, management, and data solution – we stand ready to provide the expertise, innovation, and further investment needed to meet this challenge.
Through our ongoing work to deliver the UK’s smart energy infrastructure, including the funding, installation and management of carbon reduction (CaRe) assets at scale across a wide range of low and zero-carbon technologies, SMS is proud to be driving forward the energy transition on a truly national scale.
Significantly, in the context of the Government’s levelling up agenda, and indeed the central role that the green economy can play in reducing regional inequalities as part of the wider net-zero programme, we have taken forward this national approach to carbon reduction through our regional delivery bases up and down the country.
We are therefore confident in our capability of not just standing up to the challenge of net zero, but crucially doing so by investing in our local communities, creating jobs and supporting regional economic growth along the way. The transition to net zero represents a golden opportunity to develop skills and create new economic output at a regional level, and we are prepared to play our part through our CaRe asset funding programme and smart energy infrastructure services.
In light of the publication of the Energy White Paper, we look forward to continue working closely with Government, sharing our valuable expertise and insight on how to deliver a smarter, fully decarbonised energy system, whilst also supporting our energy sector peers, industrial partners, business customers, and consumers, through the delivery of innovative low-carbon solutions.
Read the Government’s long-awaited Energy White Paper, published Monday 14th December 2021
