ICE Director General, Nick Baveystock, has responded positively to the announcement by the Government that the Green Deal is an early candidate for the UK Infrastructure Guarantees scheme and that there are over 30 expressions of interest.
Commenting, he said:
“When this scheme was announced, we and others across industry voiced concerns around whether the criteria for accessing guarantees were too high to attract applicants. The news that there are over 30 expressions of interest so far is positive and we look forward to further updates from Government on which of these projects it will be providing guarantees for. Regular reporting on progress will demonstrate credibility of the scheme and reinforce Government’s commitment to it actually leading to activity on the ground.
“The same applies to the Green Deal. We welcome that this programme is an early candidate for the use of these guarantees – reducing demand by making existing older homes more energy efficient is a vital if we are to have a resilient, affordable and low carbon energy system in future years – but it is vital that Government publishes figures on exactly how many projects are actually moving forward as part of the scheme.”