The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Ed Miliband)
On Friday 13 December the Government published our clean power 2030 action plan. This is an important step towards delivering the Prime Minister’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, by achieving clean power by 2030 and accelerating to net zero across the economy, and follows on from his “plan for change” speech this December.
We are undergoing a significant transformation of our energy system, and this transition needs to accelerate to meet the Government’s 2030 clean power goal, secure the economic opportunities it presents, and respond to the wider challenges presented by our ageing energy infrastructure. Our plan will play a critical role in delivering this acceleration, unlocking billions of pounds of private investment. It outlines the most ambitious reforms to Britain’s energy system in a generation to make our country’s energy secure, protect households from volatile international fossil fuel markets, reindustrialise the country with thousands of skilled jobs, and tackle the climate crisis. This plan will provide the foundation for the UK to build an energy system that can bring down bills for households and businesses for good.
Earlier this year, the National Energy System Operator published its independent, expert advice on delivering clean power by 2030. The Government’s plan builds on that advice, outlining our view of the pathway to the 2030 clean power goal and the steps needed to get there. The plan covers both individual technologies and the cross-cutting enablers of deploying them, such as planning, grid, supply chains and skills.
Key measures in the plan include cleaning up the grid connections queue 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.
The plan has been developed in partnership with interested Departments, the devolved Administrations and other parts of the public sector, such as Ofgem and NESO. A dedicated clean power commission, made up of experts from across industry, has also informed the plan, alongside broader industry engagement.
This ambitious plan marks a significant step forward for the Government’s clean energy mission. We are committed to continuing to work in close partnership with stakeholders to deliver it.
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