UK Government sets out pathway to clean power energy system by 2030

Energy secretary Ed Miliband said ‘Clean Power 2030 Action Plan: A new era of clean electricity’ will provide the foundation for the UK to build an energy system that can bring down bills for households and businesses for good. 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 government will now plan an energy system based on what the country needs. The plan sets out bold measures to get more homegrown clean power to people. These include: cleaning up a “dysfunctional” 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. 

Delivering these reforms will unleash £40 billion a year of mainly private investment in homegrown clean power projects and infrastructure across the country, creating good jobs across the country including engineers, welders and mechanics.  

This action plan sets out how the government will build the generation and infrastructure needed to deliver that system. Over this Parliament, the government will be working relentlessly to translate the much cheaper wholesale costs of clean power into lower bills for consumers. 

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.”

Claire Mack, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, said: “The renewable energy industry in Scotland welcomes the bold Clean Power 2030 Action Plan which recognises the enormous opportunity for the country by delivering clean energy projects at pace. Now is the time to prioritise delivery and boost investor confidence given the scale of the challenge ahead.

“We know that a renewables-based energy system will offer greater energy security and be more affordable for billpayers. That will require unlocking unprecedented levels of energy investment, so the UK Government must continue to work closely with industry to remove barriers to deployment. In return, we can build the supply chains and workforce that will provide our future prosperity. 

“Industry looks forward to receiving greater detail around the proposals announced today and how we will tackle the wider challenge of decarbonising homes and businesses. We also urge the government to swiftly rule out zonal pricing to ensure Scotland can fully capture the economic and social potential of its clean energy pipeline.”

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, added: “Today’s report from the UK Government outlines the critical contribution that Drax’s biomass and pumped storage hydro assets could make to maintain UK energy security and deliver the country’s 2030 clean power target.

“To keep the lights on when the wind isn’t blowing and sun isn’t shining, the UK needs the renewable, dispatchable power generation that only biomass can provide. Today it is providing around 3 GW or about 8% of the country’s total electricity.

“With the right Government policy support in place, Drax will spend billions of pounds on installing BECCS at our Yorkshire power station and expanding our pumped hydro power station at Cruachan in Scotland. Both projects have the right planning approvals and, through their existing grid connections, they already power millions of homes.

“Our plans will create thousands of high-skilled jobs to help reindustrialise the UK and bring even more power to people when they need it, no matter the weather.”