The UK’s largest household energy supplier says Britain should embrace Chinese technology in its energy market, adding its weight to a fierce debate about China’s role in a critical industry as the prime minister travels to the country.
Zoisa North-Bond, chief executive of Octopus Energy’s power generation arm, said greater competition could cut wind farm development costs by almost a third, helping the UK government meet its goal of keeping energy bills down. The company said in September it wants to deploy wind turbines from one of China’s largest manufacturers on its own projects in Britain.
“We look to China and we see the sheer innovation and speed at which they have deployed wind models and how much they have invested in innovation — and you cannot ignore that,” she said.