The UK Government has outlined a series of reforms aimed at reshaping the country’s energy infrastructure to achieve a clean power system by 2030.
The plan details steps to clear longstanding grid connection backlogs, prioritise critical projects, and update planning policies so more homegrown renewables can connect to the system more quickly.
Reforming the connections queue
A central part of the strategy focuses on addressing a rapidly expanding grid connection queue, which has grown tenfold over the last five years to represent around 739 GW of potential capacity. National Grid ESO had vowed to speed up the connections queue, after reports suggested that those just joining the queue were being given connection dates well into the late 2030s.
However, with some of the projects currently in the queue not having secured the funding or planning permission needed to progress, the UK Government wants to overhaul the whole process. That’s because the current ‘first-come-first-served’ approach to grid connections has led to delays and inefficiencies.
Under the new plan, the Government intends to remove unviable projects from the queue, reorder connections based on readiness, and bring forward those that are essential for meeting the 2030 target.
Streamlining the planning process
The Government also aims to provide greater clarity and direction for planners, indicating what the UK’s energy mix should look like by 2030 on both national and regional levels. This includes updating the National Policy Statements to reflect the need to deliver sufficient clean power and energy infrastructure.
The plan involves bringing onshore wind farms larger than 100 MW back under the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project regime in England, making it easier for those projects to progress through planning. That’s significant since onshore wind farms were largely banned under the previous Conservative Government, which was overturned as one of the first acts of the new Labour Government. Now it seems that the Government is willing to face local opposition if it means achieving our clean power goals.
That local opposition may not be as sizable as feared, however. That’s because studies show that the UK public have often been ‘frustrated’ by the constant rejection of renewable energy projects.
A forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill is intended to further streamline processes, and the Government has stated it will ensure local communities benefit directly from hosting clean energy infrastructure.
Updates to renewable funding
Additional measures will seek to get more renewables online faster by expanding the renewable auction system, allowing funding agreements to be secured before final planning permission is granted. There are also plans to boost investment in supply chains, supported by the Clean Industry Bonus, as well as encourage consumer-focused reforms. These reforms include giving households more choice over when and how they use electricity, so they can take advantage of cheaper tariffs and potentially sell excess energy back to the grid.
According to the Government, speeding up grid connections and installing new infrastructure could help unlock billions of pounds worth of investment in the UK’s clean energy industries. The aim is to drive economic growth, support sectors like AI and manufacturing, and meet legally binding climate targets by harnessing renewables to reduce reliance on volatile fossil fuel markets.
Ed Miliband, Energy Secretary, commented, “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.
Industry reaction
There has been a real mix of reaction to the UK Government’s plans, who could easily be described as generally positive with the direction of travel, but remaining cautious. That includes Kate Mulvany, Principal Consultant at Cornwall Insight, who commented, “Today’s announcements by the government on their ‘Clean Power 2030 action plan’ leaves critical questions unanswered. While the focus on infrastructure and connections reform is welcome, the lack of clarity around electricity market reforms remains a significant barrier, threatening low-carbon investment and the achievement of the ambitious 2030 target.
“A key concern is the uncertainty surrounding the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA). Developers face a stalemate, unable to commit the necessary capital and resources without a clear understanding of how changes will impact the Contract for Difference scheme, the Capacity Market, network charging or other key areas. This risk of an investment freeze underscores the urgent need for greater transparency and direction.
“Proposed fundamental reforms, most notably the shift away from national wholesale pricing, would require a substantial overhaul of regulations, contracts and systems, and have significant commercial implications for developers. These decisions cannot simply be pushed back, without jeopardising Clean Power 2030 ambitions, and ultimately value for money for bill payers. The Government must act swiftly and decisively on REMA, ensuring a transparent, comprehensive consultation process that provides clarity to all those impacted.
“Delays or poor outcomes from this reform process will only increase the risk of missing the Clean Power target, as market participants continue to withhold investments in the face of uncertainty. Without the necessary regulatory and policy clarity, Clean Power 2030 will be an increasingly unrealistic goal, and the sector may face the consequences of a rushed, legislative fix that could further undermine progress.”
Additionally, Jess Ralston, Head of Energy at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), noted, “The UK has paid the price for over-reliance on expensive gas over the past few years and the crisis is not over yet. Accelerating the rollout of renewables will stabilise prices and clean technology like electric heat pumps will increasingly run off British wind and solar in contrast to gas boilers which will increasingly run off foreign gas imports. Continuing to accelerate this rollout is the way we will avoid being on the hook for expensive gas in future.
“The Energy Crisis Commission concluded that the UK is ‘dangerously unprepared; for another crisis but reaching clean power will be a significant step towards achieving energy independence. It will also be crucial that the Government focuses on fixing up our leaky homes and switching away from gas boilers.”
Ed Matthew, Campaigns Director at the independent climate change think tank E3G, added, “We welcome the government’s plan to turbocharge the clean power mission. The electricity system was originally built to use fossil fuels and now needs to be re-wired to ensure the cheaper price of renewables can be reflected in household energy bills, bringing them down for good and ensuring foreign dictators can never again hold our country to ransom.
“The plan will boost those efforts but must be supported by major policy reforms to end profiteering, cut the cost of investment and help households to access clean power when it is cheapest to do so. The prize is affordable, clean power which can be a beacon of light for the world to follow.”
Can the UK achieve its clean power goal?
Whether the UK can still achieve its ambitious target of running a clean power system by 2030 remains to be seen. Andy Willis, CEO of Kona Energy, recently called on the UK Government to be more realistic with its clean power goal, while new data has suggested that while the goal is technically possible, it will require an unprecedented scale of deployment and investment.
Only time will tell if the UK can truly achieve its goal, and whether these new reforms will have the impact that they intend on having.
