The government has earmarked £960m for clean energy manufacturing projects as part of a wider £4.5bn package designed to bolster the UK’s manufacturing sector.

The announcement of the investment, called the Green Industries Growth Accelerator, comes after the steel sector urged the government to reduce industrial electricity prices in the wake of moves to shift production processes away from fossil fuels like coal towards carbon-neutral options powered by green energy.

The manufacturing sector makes up over 43 per cent of all UK exports and employs around 2.6 million people.

But from next year, carbon-intensive industries such as steelmaking and car production will be forced to gradually reduce their emissions at the rate needed for the UK to reach net zero goals.

Sectors such as North Sea oil and automotive will need to engage with major shifts in production in a bid to meet those targets.

The Treasury said it hoped the financial package would help unlock...