The way to lower energy bills is already being made in Britain

For generations, Cannock Chase and other coal mining communities powered our nation. The mines in Cannock, Hednesford, Rugeley and our villages produced the fuel that kept British homes warm, and factories and power stations running. When the pits closed, the jobs and our identity went with them, and too many communities like the ones I represent were left without the identity and good jobs of our anchor industry. That legacy still affects the people I represent, so when I see a real chance to make energy at home again and create good jobs in the process, I think it deserves to be taken seriously.

Green gas is one of those chances. The sector could support around 57,000 highly skilled jobs across the UK by 2050, paying around 20% above the national average, with the vast majority outside London and the South East. That works out at roughly 90 jobs in every constituency in the country. Engineers, technicians, plant operators and the hauliers who supply them: the kind of secure, well-paid work areas like mine have watched pass them by for too long.

Unlocking green gas also can provide a stable long term revenue stream to British farmers. Green gas is made from things we currently throw away, such as food scraps, farm slurry and break crops, as well as other agricultural products. It is cleaned up and fed into the expansive gas network the billpayers have already paid for. Today, 140 plants have the capacity to heat a million homes in Great Britain, so you may already be cooking and heating with green gas without knowing.

Green gas can be used in homes, power stations and factories without a single change needed to equipment, minimising disruption to households and businesses. And it does more than heat homes. The same process produces a natural renewable fertiliser for our farms and a secure, home-grown supply of pure carbon dioxide for British industry. Green gas is not a silver bullet, but it is a proven technology and is ready now. The National Energy System Operator (NESO) has concluded it can deliver value right across the energy system, and across a range of end users, many of which are hard to run on electricity alone.

For every pound invested in green gas, 85p stays in the UK, the highest share of any low-carbon or renewable technology. In total, the sector could add £70 billion to the economy by 2050. This is exactly the growth this Labour Government was elected to deliver: not growth concentrated in a handful of cities, but growth that reaches every part of the country; every postcode, some might say. It is also about keeping bills in our own hands, as every unit of gas we make at home is one less we have to buy from abroad.

This winter, with wholesale gas prices close to their highest in four years, families are once again paying the price for a market we do not control. But green gas is being held back from reaching its full potential. Under successive governments, delays and uncertainty over future support have stalled projects that are ready to go. When investors had confidence, more than 20 plants were built every year. The scheme that helps new plants get built has already allocated all of its money, and it effectively closes to new applicants in 2028 with nothing yet confirmed to replace it.

Ministers recently gave projects more time to get built, which is welcome, but more time without more money will not get spades in the ground. Every month of uncertainty sends investment overseas. So the ask to the Government is simple: give the green gas sector the confidence needed to invest now, confirm an ambitious long-term plan without further delay, and recognise it as a key part of Britain’s energy security. Do that, and the jobs and investment will follow.

Cannock Chase kept this country warm once; with the right backing, we can do it again. ____________________ Josh Newbury is the Labour MP for Cannock Chase. LBC Opinion provides a platform for diverse opinions on current affairs and matters of public interest. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position. To contact us email opinion@lbc.co.uk