Many big developers are just as staunchly opposed and are lobbying ministers just as fiercely. They argue it could make electricity pricing unpredictable and deter investment essential to the U.K.'s green goals. Trade bodies like Renewable UK, Solar Energy UK and Steel UK are lined up against it, too.
The lobbying spat will continue until a REMA decision arrives, expected in the summer. The government says only that an update will come “in due course.”
The second industry figure quoted above was scathing. “He doesn’t build anything,” they said of Octopus’s contribution, adding: “His argument means not building any new infrastructure, but this network needs investment.”
Chris O’Shea, boss of British Gas owner Centrica, is critical, too, even if he avoided mentioning Jackson by name. “I think we [should] listen to companies that are actually putting their hands in their pockets. I think we should be dubious about companies that have not put their hands in their pockets,” O’Shea said.
“It’s not true to say we don't build stuff,” parried Jackson, pointing to the renewables assets operated by Octopus’s energy generation arm.
He batted away the broader criticism. “I think companies are typically acting in what they think [is the] public interest,” he said — before suggesting it involved a dose of special pleading from developers, too. “It is notable that the companies that earn money from building wind farms, whether they're turned on or not, are also the ones that earn money from building grid, right?”