Fuels Industry UK has cautioned that the measures announced in the Industrial Strategy do not go far enough in addressing the challenges facing the fuels sector despite targeted measures to reduce industrial energy costs and strengthen England’s technical skills base.
The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy announced plans to narrow the energy cost gap between UK industry and EU competitors as well as a group of new measures to address skills shortages in England. New Sector Plans also announce policy measures supporting carbon capture, hydrogen, and Sustainable Aviation Fuels, where the fuels sector will be essential for their future delivery.
Elizabeth de Jong, chief executive of Fuels Industry UK says: “Fuels Industry UK identified both energy costs and skills gaps as barriers to investment and we will work with our members and government to ensure the sector can maximise and build on today’s announcements. The Supercharger scheme, for example, only helps those refineries with particular power generation setups.
“Although there has been acknowledgment by government of the importance of the fuels sector in the context of the Grangemouth refinery closure, we are disappointed not to be named explicitly as a ‘foundational industry’ today, given the vital role of the fuels sector in enabling growth and providing over 40% of total final energy consumption.”
