UK Government sets out plan for new era of clean electricity

Today, the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan was published as part of the government’s aim to usher in a new era of clean electricity for the UK and deliver the “most ambitious reforms to our energy system in generations.” 

In November, the independent National Energy System Operator (NESO) set out pathways to a clean power system in 2030, and confirmed it was deliverable, more secure, and could see a lower cost of electricity, and lower bills.     

The Clean Power target has been defined as “by 2030 Great Britain will generate enough clean power to meet our total annual electricity demand, backed up by unabated gas supply to be used only when essential.” 

To deliver on the Action plan, the government will reform the overarching structures that underpin delivery and operation of the energy system in order to lower barriers to investment, development and deployment. This includes cleaning up the grid system by prioritising the most important projects and ending the ‘first-come-first served’ system, speeding up decisions on planning permission by empowering planners to prioritise critical energy infrastructure, and expanding the renewable auction process to stop delays and get more projects connected.   

Yesterday, government announced it is also bringing onshore wind back into the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) regime in England, making it easier to progress onshore farms larger than 100 MW.    

The path to 2030 set out is expected to generate an average of £40bn in energy investment per year from 2025-2030, a large proportion of which will be private investment. In turn, this will create new industries and employment opportunities, stimulating local economies.  

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said, “A new era of clean electricity for our country offers a positive vision of Britain’s future with energy security, lower bills, good jobs and climate action. This can only happen with big, bold change and that is why the government is embarking on the most ambitious reforms to our energy system in generations.    

The era of clean electricity is about harnessing the power of Britain’s natural resources so we can protect working people from the ravages of global energy markets.    

The clean power sprint is the national security, economic security, and social justice fight of our time - and this plan gives us the tools we need to win this fight for the British people.” 

To read the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan: Clean Power 2030 Action Plan: A new era of clean electricity