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The government has unveiled the most ambitious energy system reforms in decades. These reforms aim to secure Britain’s energy future, shield households from price spikes, reindustrialise the country with thousands of skilled jobs, and tackle the climate crisis. This bold plan, part of the Prime Minister’s "Plan for Change," lays the groundwork for achieving clean power by 2030.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband announced the roadmap to transition to a clean power system, emphasising its potential to lower electricity costs and ensure energy security. The independent National Energy System Operator (NESO) confirmed the feasibility of achieving clean power by 2030, highlighting benefits like lower energy bills and increased stability.
A lack of coherent long-term planning has stalled energy infrastructure projects for years. The new plan focuses on creating an energy system tailored to national needs, removing roadblocks such as a congested planning system and a grid backlog that hampers renewable energy projects.
The plan introduces sweeping reforms to overhaul the grid and accelerate renewable energy deployment:
Modernising the Grid: Prioritising critical projects and replacing the outdated "first-come-first-served" approach.
Streamlining Planning Permissions: Empowering planners to expedite decisions for essential energy infrastructure.
Expanding Renewable Auctions: Reducing delays and connecting more projects to the grid.
These initiatives aim to unlock £40 billion annually in private investment, fueling clean power projects nationwide and creating thousands of high-quality jobs for engineers, welders, and mechanics.
The urgency of reducing reliance on foreign fossil fuels became apparent during the Ukraine crisis, which exposed vulnerabilities in the UK’s energy system. Families faced record-breaking bills as global energy prices surged. The government’s plan focuses on homegrown energy solutions, combining renewables and nuclear power to stabilise prices and protect consumers from future price shocks.
The reforms align with recent investments in green technology:
Carbon Capture in Teesside: Construction of the UK’s first Carbon Capture project will begin in 2025, creating thousands of jobs in the North East.
Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Farm: Ørsted announced £100 million in contracts for its project, boosting supply chain businesses in Northern England.
The government’s clean power mission aims to translate the lower wholesale costs of renewables into reduced bills for households and businesses. Over the coming years, relentless efforts will focus on delivering this transformation.
With these measures, the UK takes a decisive step toward energy independence, economic resilience, and a sustainable future. The government’s ambitious reforms promise to usher in a new era of clean, affordable, and secure energy for all.
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.”
Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus, said, “We welcome the prospect of slashing red tape for grid connections, overturning the onshore wind ban in England and allowing more special offers to slash energy bills. Britain’s high energy prices stem from years of bad rules that don’t allow us to build renewable energy in the places it’s needed or make use of cheap wind when it’s abundant, so these are positive steps.”
Fintan Slye, Chief Executive of NESO, said, “We welcome the publication of the Government’s Clean Power Action Plan. We are pleased that our independent advice on how Britain can achieve clean power by 2030 has formed such an integral part of the Plan.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the Government, the energy regulator and wider industry to overcome the delivery challenges that we have identified and unlock the benefits of clean, secure power to consumers, the economy and society as a whole.”
Jon Butterworth, CEO of National Gas, said, “National Gas welcomes the Government’s Clean Power Action Plan, which firmly recognises the critical role of the gas transmission system – ensuring a secure transition for households and businesses across the country.
“Gas will continue to play an essential role as the nation’s strategic power reserve when the wind doesn’t blow, and the sun doesn’t shine, as demonstrated this week when we saw the need for gas hit a record high – with more gas supplied to power stations than at any point in the last five years.
“We are proud to play our role in securing Britain’s energy and unlocking clean power as the backbone keeping our country’s large gas power stations and heavy industry running.” Sarah Mukherjee MBE, CEO of IEMA, said,
“Investment in 300 new planning officers is a good start – but if we want to speed up the planning system, you need to mandate the use of competent experts across the board – not just local planning officers, but also environmental impact assessors and other professionals who are central to ensuring evidence-based practice in the consenting process.
“The planning system can only move as fast as its slowest moving part.
“Sensible planning reform can unlock the potential of the green economy, accelerating low carbon infrastructure and the development of new homes that are consistent with Net Zero carbon reduction targets under a Future Homes Standard.”
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