An amendment to the Great British Energy Bill will enable the company to ensure forced labour is not used in its supply chains.
Great British Energy will act to secure supply chains that are free of forced labour, under an amendment brought forward by the government today.
Owned by and for the British public, Great British Energy will be a sector leader in building new energy infrastructure using ethical supply chains.
A new measure set out in the Great British Energy Bill will enable the company to ensure that forced labour does not take place in its business or its supply chains.
The amendment is the latest move in the government's work to tackle the issue of forced labour as it becomes a global leader in clean energy. Great British Energy is already able to bar suppliers that use illegal and immoral practices from bidding for its contracts.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks said:
Great British Energy will be an industry-leader in developing supply chains free of forced labour as it propels us in our clean energy superpower mission.
Owned by and for the British public, Great British Energy will be an institution we can all be proud of as we build our clean energy future here in the UK.
The government has already:
- brought the Procurement Act 2023 into force, so public bodies can reject bids and terminate contracts with suppliers that are known to use forced labour
- committed that Great British Energy's strategic priorities will include an overarching expectation to tackle forced labour, becoming a sector leader in this space, as expected from any company owned by the British public
- set out that Great British Energy will appoint a senior leader on ethical supply chains and modern slavery
- relaunched the Solar Taskforce, to develop supply chains that are resilient, sustainable and free from forced labour
- encouraged renewable developers accessing its flagship Contracts for Difference scheme to grow the supply chain through the Supply Chain Plan process
- published updated guidance on producing modern slavery statements, providing all businesses and public bodies with practical advice on how to tackle modern slavery in their supply chains
And the Solar Roadmap will set out how government will work with industry to triple the UK's solar capacity by 2030. It is set to be published later this year.
Chris Hewett, Chief Executive of the trade association Solar Energy UK said:
Solar Energy UK welcomes the government's amendment to the GB Energy Bill.
The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI), which we developed with SolarPower Europe, is already having a real impact on the global supply chain. By the end of this year, SSI-certified manufacturing facilities will be able to produce 100 gigawatts of solar panels per year from independently-assessed sites that are not complicit in forced labour. That is around five times more than all of the UK's existing solar panels put together, more than enough to meet both UK and EU demand. This number will continue to grow.
Given progress in ensuring that the UK supply chain is free from solar panels produced with raw materials tainted by human rights abuses, we are confident that there will be no slowdown in solar deployment. The amendment poses no threat to the attainment of clean power by 2030, nor to reaching net zero by 2050.
This latest commitment will support growth in the UK and plans to deliver clean power by 2030, by using domestic suppliers, alongside those across the world, who have safe supply chain practices.
The solar industry is confident that the government can meet its clean power ambitions whilst also tackling forced labour in supply chains, and the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan sets out the supply chain requirements to deliver on this ambition.
Notes
The proposed amendment, to Clause 3 of the GBE Bill, will be voted on by MPs and Peers.
This clause sets Great British Energy's activities as: facilitating, encouraging and participating in clean energy projects; reducing greenhouse gas emissions; improving energy efficiency; ensuring energy security; and now, measures to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in its business or supply chains.
The amendment text is available in full here:
