Ministers have been accused of lacking the “ambition necessary” to decarbonise industry as the government outlined £1bn of spending to reduce emissions from businesses, hospitals and schools.
It comes as Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, prepares to publish the government’s industrial decarbonisation strategy, including plans to move towards more green energy sources.
Forming part of the government’s strategy to reach the legally-binding net zero target by 2050, officials said the funding – announced last year – will create thousands of jobs while cutting emissions by two-thirds over 15 years.
Setting out how the £1bn will be spent, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy said an initial £171m has been allocated to nine green tech projects in Scotland, south Wales and northern England to study the rollout of infrastructure such as carbon capture and storage (CCS).
Local authorities across England were being allocated £932m to fund green upgrades to public buildings including schools, hospitals and council buildings in 429 projects across England.
