Ed Miliband: People need to be convinced of the need for electricity pylons near homes | Renewable Energy

Labour will seek to persuade people living near proposed routes for pylons and other renewable energy infrastructure that such developments are essential to cut bills and tackle carbon emissions, the energy secretary has said.

Ed Miliband has pledged to consider new benefits for communities affected by the construction of renewable energy infrastructure and community ownership of assets, which could include onshore wind farms and solar parks.

“Communities have a right to see the benefits,” he said, but did not elaborate on what action Labor might take. Allowing local people to participate in projects could be one solution, he added. “It’s not just about community benefits, it’s about community shares and ownership.”

He said the government would seek to minimise the impacts of new infrastructure on nature and the landscape. “We can integrate environmental concerns early in the planning process,” he said. “There is a way to do this that is positive for nature.”

The Labour Party this week launched Great British Energy, a national organisation that will invest billions in energy projects in the UK, including offshore wind. Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants 20 million homes to be powered by offshore wind by the end of the decade, but that will require a lot of new infrastructure, not just in the form of wind farms but also grid connections and pylons to transport the electricity to where it is used.

Local groups have raised concerns about the pylons and other infrastructure, and in some areas have called for a pause while the plans are reviewed. Miliband said he was aware of those concerns, but said he believed the infrastructure was absolutely necessary to revive the UK economy and move towards a clean energy future.

“I’m in the business of persuasion, not communication,” he told a conference Friday morning of the Labour Climate and Environment Forum, a group of green-leaning Labour MPs who want to push the government towards more environmental policies. “Persuasion is very important.”

But he was adamant about the need for the new development. “If we don’t have this infrastructure, we’re going to have to continue using fossil fuels, which is bad for nature and the climate crisis,” he said. “That’s fundamentally the choice.”

It would also be impossible to solve the cost of living crisis, of which high energy prices are the main cause, without building new renewable energy plants, which would mean cheaper energy, he added. “My constituency, Doncaster, is in the worst cost of living crisis for a generation. Do we tell them we can’t build this infrastructure? [that will reduce bills] and we can’t do anything about it?

Miliband said his mission was to deliver a “just transition” for people whose jobs depend on fossil fuels, such as in the oil and gas industry. Many fear losing well-paid jobs in these established sectors.

The Energy Secretary compared Labour to the previous Conservative government, which he said had shown little interest in equipping people with the skills and training needed for jobs in sectors such as carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and offshore wind.

“The truth is that the North Sea was declining under their watch, as it is declining under ours,” he said. “But if you don’t show any interest, you can’t expect the private sector to show any interest.”

He said his ministry was becoming more of an “industrial policy ministry” than just an energy ministry.

Green jobs could boost the UK economy, he added. “All the evidence I have suggests the opportunities are enormous.”