Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Britain’s security services are taking part in a review into China’s growing role in the UK’s energy system amid concerns over Beijing’s influence in strategic national infrastructure.
MI5 is helping establish the extent to which the use of Chinese technology such as solar panels or industrial batteries could pose potential future security threats, according to people close to the situation.
Concern over Chinese companies’ dominance of international supply chains for technologies crucial to decarbonisation is growing as the UK tries to shift away from fossil fuels.
That has sparked concern in Whitehall about the potential for sensitive data to be shared with the Chinese government as well as the country’s potential control over strategic energy assets.
The review into China’s growing role in the energy system is part of the government’s broader “audit” of UK-China relations that will report later this year.
“The spooks are looking at it,” said one official. “It’s tied to the industrial strategy, looking at general questions of where we get our things from, and the security risk.”
MI5 director-general Ken McCallum said in October that the “National Protective Security Authority” — a branch of the domestic security service responsible for monitoring technical threats — has had a long-running “focus” on supply chain security.
MPs this week clashed in the House of Commons over proposals for privately owned Chinese company Mingyang to supply wind turbines for a planned floating offshore wind project in Scottish waters called Green Volt.
While China’s largest floating offshore wind company is privately owned, critics are concerned there is a risk of interference from Beijing in corporations’ decision-making.
Energy minister Kerry McCarthy told MPs on Wednesday: “We’re undergoing rigorous processes to look at the role of China in our supply chain in investment in critical infrastructure . . . we are taking into account the national security considerations.”
Shadow energy secretary Andrew Bowie said it was “unthinkable to disregard the security implications” if Chinese-manufactured turbines were installed in British wind farms.
The Sun reported this week that the Ministry of Defence had raised concerns that Green Volt could be used for spy sensors.
“Security experts have warned that sensors could spy on British seas, defence submarine programmes and the layout of our energy infrastructure,” said Bowie.
“We would be reliant on Chinese equipment and software, and on Chinese suppliers for updates and maintenance, handing Beijing significant opportunity for interference.”
The UK’s “China audit” is being led by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office with input from other departments.
The government is seeking to walk a tightrope between a pragmatic economic relationship with Beijing and protecting against security threats.
Labour has stepped up diplomatic engagement, with senior ministers visiting the Chinese mainland in recent months and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer looking to visit later this year.
However, last autumn ministers used the National Security and Investment Act to order a Chinese investor to sell its majority stake in a British semiconductor company.
The developers of Green Volt — Norwegian-Italian owned Vargronn and Japan’s Flotation Energy — have denied that they have yet chosen Mingyang to provide the turbines.
Green Volt said it was “identifying supply chain partners to help us build the wind farm”. It added: “As yet, no turbine supplier has been confirmed for Green Volt. We will comply with any government regulation and guidance around security of critical national infrastructure in the selection of all our suppliers.”
Mingyang has said it would open a turbine manufacturing plant in Scotland if it was chosen as the supplier and the Treasury is understood to back the scheme. “[Chancellor] Rachel Reeves came back from her recent trip to China really keen on this project,” said one government figure.
The UK government wants to decarbonise Britain’s power sector by 2030, requiring a massive increase in wind turbines, solar panels and batteries.
In particular, officials are understood to be more concerned about the “primary control systems” used to angle the blades and keep them facing into the wind.
The Green Volt situation exemplifies how Britain has taken an inconsistent approach to China in sensitive industries in recent years.
The UK government forced state-owned Chinese nuclear company CGN to sell its stake in the proposed new power station at Sizewell C in Suffolk, although the group is still involved in the consortium building Hinkley Point C in Somerset.
Bowie said it was “concerning” that the Treasury seemed determined to give the green light to Mingyang.
“This green revolution will come with a ‘made in China’ label,” he said. “Chinese-controlled technology embedded in our critical energy infrastructure is evidently a threat to our security.”
The government said it was undertaking “rigorous processes” to examine the role of China in Britain’s supply chain and investment in critical infrastructure.
Ensuring national security is our top priority, and investments in the energy sector undergo rigorous scrutiny to safeguard our interests. While we cannot discuss specific cases, it is imperative to prioritize national security above all else.
It may pose challenges to reduce Chinese involvement in UK renewables due to their dominance in global battery and solar panel supply chains, despite their limited presence in British wind farms currently. Some officials fear a potential situation similar to the removal of Huawei from the UK’s 5G network.
The reliance of the renewables market on Chinese supplies is a significant concern that needs to be addressed. The intersection of climate change, business, and politics underscores the importance of sustainable practices in today’s world. Explore more on the FT’s coverage of environmental sustainability and our science-based targets to combat climate change.