The largest trade association in Britain, the Renewable Energy Association (REA), has welcomed Nick Clegg’s announcement to provide a £100 million fund for green investment that will boost the renewable energy industry and create new jobs.

Making the announcement today, Deputy Prime Minister Clegg said that the multimillion fund will enable the UK Green Investments team (UKGI) to see more domestic and foreign investments to the renewable industry.

Chief Executive of the REA, Gaynor Hartnell, praised the Deputy Prime Minister for his leadership and commitment to the renewable energy sector.

He said: “We need clear leadership from the top of Government on renewable energy, so the Deputy Prime Minister’s unequivocal commitment to renewable energy is very welcome and timely.

“He is quite right that a global energy revolution is underway and we look forward to working with him to ensure the UK fulfills its extraordinary potential.”

However, Mr Hartnell said that the Coalition Government needed a more stable policy framework to make sure the UK’s renewable industry continues to expand, paving the way for green jobs in the future.

Mr Hartnell said: “The Coalition Government needs to do much better on providing a clear and stable policy framework to make sure the UK isn’t left further behind.

“Recent decisions on support levels for renewable power technologies, which have failed to provide the expected certainty out to 2017, together with the uncertain status of the Electricity Market Reform package, do not provide the stable framework that industry needs.”

Do you also welcome Nick Clegg’s intervention to boost the green economy? What else the Government could do to further accelerate green investment and create more jobs? Share your thoughts by commenting here or raising your voice on our Facebook page.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has announced a £100 million fund for green investment which will create new jobs in the renewable energy industry.

Speaking to an energy conference in London’s Lancaster House today, Mr Clegg defended the Government’s commitment to support the renewable energy sector, outlining lasting benefits to the UK low-carbon economy.

He announced multi-million contracts by UK Green Investments (UKGI) with fund managers Equitix and Sustainable Development Capital (SDCL) to provide initial capital to encourage foreign and domestic investment in non-domestic energy efficiency.

The Deputy Minister’s announcement was hailed with a £12 million expansion by a recycling firm Closed Loop in Dagenham, East London, that will create and safeguard 100 jobs.

The UK is the sixth largest market in low carbon goods and environmental services in the world. It contributes 3.9 per cent of the UK’s GDP and employs 173,000 people.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that the Coalition Government is ‘unreservedly committed’ to help Britain’s low carbon sector thrive, providing a clean and green economy.

He said: “There is a global energy revolution underway and the UK is not going to be left behind. We’re leading from the front.

“Together we find ourselves at the vanguard of one of the most dynamic, most innovative, most important industries of our time; an industry whose breakthroughs and endeavours will shape our societies for years to come; an industry that will help us build a more stable, more sustainable, more prosperous world.”

What is your reaction to the Government’s £100 million fund that will accelerate investment in the renewable industry and create new jobs?  Share your thoughts by commenting here or raising your voice on our Facebook page.

Speaking today at the largest trade and investment event ever held in Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron said that the £8 billion development of the Battersea Power Station in South West London will create 20, 000 jobs during its construction.

The mixed development will contain homes, office space, a hotel and retail space and will see the Northern Line extended with a new transportation hub at the Power Station site.

The Global Investment Conference, launched by the Prime Minister, is the first of a series of global business summits being held in London to showcase the UK during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The event is expected to generate hundreds of thousands of new jobs for people in the trades.

The conference kicks off the largest and most ambitious set of trade events held in Britain. During the six weeks of the Games, the British Business Embassy will host 17 global business summits that will bring over £1 billion of deals and projects.

These events will allow more than 4,000 business leaders and politicians to exchange views and ideas, discuss local and international economic challenges as well as develop strong global partnerships for future growth and showcase the best of British business to the world.

Chancellor George Osborne said: “Britain has always been a country that is open to the world. In hosting the Olympic Games, we are showcasing that openness. As we welcome the world’s best athletes, we also welcome the world’s best companies – so that they can succeed, invest, and create jobs in Britain.”

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “Tomorrow we welcome the world to London as the 2012 Olympic Games get underway. This summer is more than just a great sporting spectacle – it is an unrivalled opportunity to promote the best of British industry and make the most of our openness to foreign trade and investment.”

This month, the UN’s World Investment Report showed that the UK had retained its place as the number one destination in Europe for inward investment. The report showed that there were almost 60,000 new jobs created last year as a result of inward investment.

 

What is your reaction to the Global Investment Conference that could bring billions of pounds to the UK economy?  How much of an impact will the Olympics have on your business? Share your thoughts by commenting here or raising your voice on our Facebook page.

Building, Engineering and Construction work of the Olympic Park for London 2012 has raised the public profile of the industry, helping millions of people in Britain to appreciate the importance of civil engineering to society, a survey by a leading engineering body revealed today.

A new survey published by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) showed that over half of the public (53%) no longer just think about bridges when they think of civil engineering in the light of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Nearly half of the 2, 000 people who took part in the ComRes survey  said they would consider civil engineering to be a ‘respected’ profession, alongside jobs such as lawyers and teachers.

More than 46,000 jobs have been created as a result of the London 2012 construction project. Post-Olympic work, taking place just after the closing ceremony next month, is expected to create thousands of extra new jobs.

The successful delivery of the £7-billion worth Olympic infrastructure has raised the public profile of civil engineers and people working in the trades.

45% of the people who participated in the survey say they would consider civil engineering to be a ‘respected’ profession, alongside jobs such as lawyers and teachers. Over a third (38%) of the participants said they would encourage their children to pursue a career in civil engineering.

ICE President Richard Coackley said: “Our day-to-day lives depend on the infrastructure around us that is designed, built and maintained by civil engineers – from roads, railways and bridges to energy, water and waste networks.

“It forms the backbone of society and the economy. But unfortunately it is often only when things go wrong that the work of civil engineers is thrust into the media spotlight.

“The London 2012 Games have changed this – showcasing and celebrating the work of these often ‘unsung heroes’ while at the same time helping the public understand more about what civil engineers do and what a diverse and exciting career it is.

“If anything could excite and inspire young people to pursue civil engineering as a career it’s the Olympic and Paralympic Games – a true feat of engineering in every sense.”

What’s your reaction to the survey by the ICE indicating a bright future for civil engineers and people in the building construction industry? Share your thoughts by commenting here or raising your voice on our Facebook page.

As London is about to host the 2012 Olympic Games next month, the UK’s construction sector could benefit from this summer’s excellent completion of the Olympic venue and one of the greatest showcases on the Earth to bid for major international project in the future.

The opening of the Olympic Games will signal to the world, and future host cities of sport events, Britain’s success in delivering seven billion pound worth of Olympic infrastructure on time and budget.

John Armitt, chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) explained the success of London 2012 will reinforce Britain’s building construction credentials in overseas markets.

Mr Armitt also commented that the Olympics are an opportunity to build Britain’s self-confidence as a country. British businesses and trade professional could benefit from major projects in some of the world fastest growing economy, including Qatar.

Over the next decade the Gulf state will develop US $140 billion worth of major projects in preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. British companies will be able to benefit from these commercial opportunities and pursue the investment potential which their businesses need.

Do you agree the building construction industry will benefit from the Olympic legacy and widen its international operations? Share your thoughts by commenting here: