Published 03 January 2013 | Standard notes SN05977
Amended 22 February 2013
Authors:
Elena Ares
Topic:
Business support, Climate change, Energy, Environmental protection, Financial services, Renewable energy
This note covers the Green Investment Bank set up by the Government to support green infrastructure investment.
Before the announcement of its creation in the March 2011 budget there was debate between departments on the form the Bank would take and the level of finance to be provided to it. In that budget it was announced the Bank would have an initial investment of £3bn and will not be allowed to raise its own capital until at least 2015. The Bank will be able to carry out a wide range of transactions - including equity, debt and risk mitigation products - and is expected to catalyse an additional £15 billion of investment in green infrastructure by 2014/15.
The Government published the five priority areas for investment for the bank during the current spending review period, together with the criteria for deciding on its location on 12 December 2011. It also announced the creation of an interim body, Green Investments UK, which would have £775 million available to invest from April 2012. The location of the Bank, Edinburgh and London, was announced in March 2012.
Legislation that would enshrine the ‘green’ purpose of the bank, providing powers for it to operate including funding, and ensuring its operational independence from Government were announced in the Queens Speech, and included in the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill published in May 2012.
The European Commission approved state aid for the bank on 17 October 2012. It was then officially launched by Vince Cable at the Heriot-Watt University Conference Centre on 28 November 2012.