The renewables sector is rife with Chinese slave labour, campaigners have warned, amid reports Ed Miliband wants to prevent solar panels from China being used by a new state energy company.
The Energy Secretary will introduce an amendment to the Great British Energy Bill to force the new publicly-owned company to stop using parts for solar panels linked to Chinese slave labour, according to reporting by the Times.
The change will ensure solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries must not contain materials suspected of being produced through slave labour.
Luke de Pulford, the executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac), warned the use of slave labour extends throughout the renewable energy sector.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Unfortunately, there’s a problem right the way throughout the renewables sector with state-imposed forced labour in China.
“They have labour transfer schemes where the Government conscripts, very often ethnic minorities, and forces them to work against their will, and sadly, many such workers are placed within renewable industry in China.”
A large part of the world supply of polysilicon, a critical material in the industry, comes from Xinjiang, the Chinese region where Beijing is suspected of human rights abuses against the Uighur Muslim minority.
Mr de Pulford was asked how difficult it will be for the Government to increase its use of renewables without using Chinese slave labour.
He told the BBC: “It’s going to require a transition because China has such a dominance of the production of polysilicon and nearly 40% of that comes from Xinjiang and is connected in some way to these labour transfer schemes, so we’re going to have to diversify.
“But it’s not impossible and companies are, I think, slowly inching towards a better place – we have to find a better way of doing it, that doesn’t mean that we have a green transition reliant upon Uighur slavery.”
A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “No industry in the UK should rely on forced labour, and through Great British Energy we have a clear plan to build the supply chains needed to support a new era of clean homegrown power, bringing jobs and investment.
“We are working across Government to tackle the issue of forced labour in solar supply chains, and the relaunched solar taskforce is focusing on developing supply chains that are resilient, sustainable and free from forced labour.
“Having listened carefully to the views of MPs and peers, we are considering how we can go further to help ensure Great British Energy is a sector leader in this area and will provide an update shortly.”
