Government support for new low-carbon industries should be targeted at communities hit by the demise of heavy industry, says a new report.
The TUC called for a Government agency to fund energy research and support projects such as new nuclear power stations and offshore wind.
The UK could undergo a clean energy transition to create high-quality jobs in an industry worth hundreds of billions of pounds globally, said the report.
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Business Secretary Greg Clark’s new department must seize the opportunity and use green tech to deliver great new jobs.
“Combining climate change and industrial policy in one department is an opportunity to get a share of the 500bn dollar (£378 billion) renewable energy industry for the UK.
“As energy from oil and coal gets more expensive, manufacturing firms will instead invest in countries with a plentiful supply of low-carbon energy.
“So the Government must put investment in low-carbon industry at the heart of its new industrial strategy.
“It must focus that investment on towns that have lost their heavy industry, where decent jobs are still in short supply.”
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