East Anglia has established itself as one of the UK’s major energy generators and is perfectly placed to lead Labour’s mission to turn the country into a clean energy superpower.

Keir Starmer’s Labour wants to double onshore wind, triple solar power and quadruple offshore wind by 2030, alongside investment in carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), hydrogen and marine energy, while ensuring the country has the long-term energy security it needs.

In the East of England, Labour has a region ideally placed to help tackle these targets and achieve the goal.

The region is home to 10GW of generation and has a further 18GW in development, accounting for 12% of total power generation across Britain.

Its low carbon and renewable portfolio produced enough power for more than a third (36%) of UK homes in 2023, and Opergy Group estimates this could grow to 90% as soon as 2035.

The East of England is an energy powerhouse already playing a vital role in the UK’s clean energy sector and, as the Opergy Group’s projections show, will only grow more influential in the years ahead, supporting the energy transition and attracting investment.

Martin Dronfield, joint shareholder and commercial director at Opergy GroupMartin Dronfield, joint shareholder and commercial director at Opergy Group (Image: Opergy Group)
The East is already one of the world’s largest offshore wind clusters. It has 3.4GW operational capacity and a further 10.4GW in development, which is the largest pipeline of projects for all the UK regions. It employs 2,400 people – a figure that could rise to 7,600 by 2030, bringing in £35 billion in investment in the process.

There are 301 solar projects in the pipeline, set to add 4.1GW to the current 1.5GW already operational, while there are bases to build from in onshore wind (almost 500MW) and nuclear through the 1.2GW Sizewell B and continued development of the 3.2GW Sizewell C.

There is substantial storage potential to exploit, with Opergy Group finding the East has 3.9GW of battery storage projects in planning, and the UK’s major CO2 storage hub in the Southern North Sea, as well as a real hydrogen opportunity developing at pace through Hydrogen East.

With the government signaling ambition to invest in hydrogen through the National Wealth Fund, the East of England, as an established regional cluster, could emerge as a major hydrogen producer with growing demand across transport and significant export potential too, thanks to Bacton and interconnectors.

By leveraging existing infrastructure and expertise, with continued investment in clean energy technologies like hydrogen and nuclear, there is no reason why the East of England cannot lead the UK’s energy transition and help the government deliver on its mission of making the UK a clean energy superpower.