Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Repurposing existing offshore and onshore infrastructure could make a significant contribution to the UK’s drive to net-zero. In 2022, analysis by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) identified more than 100 pipelines which could be suitable for CCS or hydrogen projects.

The NSTA supports government and others to identify opportunities for repurposing, including for carbon dioxide or offshore hydrogen transportation and storage projects.

We are already seeing this in practice. HyNet will be served by a combination of new and existing infrastructure, with more than 90 miles of offshore and onshore pipeline being repurposed.

The Government’s forecasts for data centre demand to 2030 are consistent with its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. The Government expects to be able to meet this demand through its plans to increase renewable power capacity, other low carbon generation and flexible and dispatchable power.

As I sent out in my Written Ministerial Statement on 1 July 2025, the Government is providing the Official Receiver with short-term funding to cover the essential operating costs of the refinery as a result of the unexpected insolvency of the company. The final operating cost will depend on market conditions and the strategy adopted by the Official Receiver, and this will be subject to close scrutiny and governance by the Government and the insolvency office holders. This funding is necessary to provide the Official Receiver with the necessary tools to fulfil their statutory duties and to avoid an immediate, unsafe shutdown of the refinery.

Great British Energy (GBE) is a key part of our plan to protect bill payers from volatile international fossil fuel markets by accelerating clean power deployment. By investing in and developing clean energy projects GBE will ensure UK taxpayers and billpayers reap the benefits of homegrown energy.

The Great British Energy Act gained Royal Assent on the 15^th May and the company is now setting up its headquarters in Aberdeen and recruiting the team that will deliver its work. The Secretary of State will set out a Statement of Strategic Priorities in due course but in the meantime GBE has made initial investments in community energy and working alongside other government departments to deliver a programme of solar power for schools and hospitals across the country.

DESNZ’s fuel poverty statistics include an affordability measure of the number of households in England required to spend over 10% of income on energy costs. In 2024, this was estimated at 8.99 million households (36.3%).

The review of the fuel poverty strategy consultation document includes a version of this measure limited to households on a low income, in the ‘Measuring fuel poverty’ section. An estimated 6.6 million low income households spent over 10% of income on energy costs in England in 2023.

Sizewell C was granted development consent following the Planning Inspectorate’s examination of Sizewell C’s Development Consent Order (DCO) application and all works are fully in line with DCO permissions.

Sizewell C report that the project has carried out advanced planting of 4,000 more trees than it has removed, and when the power station is complete, 42 hectares of woodland will have been created, amounting to between 50,000 and 100,000 trees and shrubs, plus additional hedgerows. Sizewell C has also created three nature reserves around the site – and three further nature reserves are being created locally to further mitigate for any land take.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is implementing fundamental reforms to the connections process that will free up capacity and accelerate connections, including for small and medium-sized enterprises and manufacturers. But we recognise that further action is needed and that is why we announced plans in the Industrial Strategy to launch a Connections Accelerator Service and use new legal powers to accelerate grid connection timelines for demand projects.

Building on a summary of responses to a Call for Evidence published in November 2024 , DESNZ has commissioned an evaluation of the SECR regulations, which we expect to publish in early 2026. DESNZ is also undertaking an internal review to assess opportunities to streamline carbon reporting requirements to reduce the administrative burden placed on businesses, supporting the Department for Business and Trade’s Non-Financial Reporting (NFR) review and cross-Government Regulation Action Plan.

The Government has committed to delivering the foundations of a world-leading sustainable finance framework to drive investment in the green transition and deliver economic growth. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has worked closely with the Department for Business and Trade and HM Treasury on how best to take forward transition plan and emissions reporting requirements, with recently published consultations on these topics now live.

As at 2 July 2025, 10 DESNZ employees, who are all UK-based, have exceptionally been given permission to work remotely outside of the UK for a limited period. The countries are Thailand, Botswana, Barbados, India, Slovenia, United States of America, France, Belgium and Ireland. Permission is granted for various reasons, including to accompany a partner posted overseas on official government business.

International remote working is separate from and does not include employees who are conducting official business abroad. DESNZ’s international remote working policy allows staff to make an application to work remotely overseas for a short period of time for a number of limited reasons. Approval of such a request is subject to the employee having the legal right to work in the country and the necessary security and other clearances.

Outside of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, between July 2024 and March 2025 inclusive, there have been 14,218 heat pumps installed under government schemes, including 11,035 under the Energy Company Obligation, 2,097 under the Home Upgrade Grant, 1,086 under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. The statistics are available to access on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/heat-pump-deployment-statistics).

The ECO is not a government-funded grant scheme, but instead a requirement on larger energy supplier to deliver energy efficiency and heating measures to low-income households.

Heat pumps are eligible for support under the Warm Homes: Local Grant and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund. The schemes started delivery in April 2025 and therefore installation figures are not yet available.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is responsible for operating Great Britain’s electricity system, which includes managing constraints. Constraint payments are part of Balancing Use of System charges, which are the costs incurred to balance the supply and demand of the grid. NESO publishes total balancing costs here, and more detail on specific bids and offers can be found by Elexon here.

The Government is working to reduce constraints and improve energy security and resilience by accelerating the building of new electricity network infrastructure to increase capacity on the system.

The Government believes the best way to protect billpayers, both households and businesses, from fluctuations in energy prices is through our mission to deliver clean power by 2030. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030.

Sizewell C was granted development consent following the Planning Inspectorate’s examination of Sizewell C’s Development Consent Order (DCO) application and all works are fully in line with DCO permissions.

Sizewell C report that the project has carried out advanced planting of 4,000 more trees than it has removed, and when the power station is complete, 42 hectares of woodland will have been created, amounting to between 50,000 and 100,000 trees and shrubs, plus additional hedgerows. Sizewell C has also created three nature reserves around the site – and three further nature reserves are being created locally to further mitigate for any land take.

This Government is committed to nuclear power. As set out in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, nuclear will play an important role in delivering clean power by 2030 and beyond, providing clean, stable and reliable power. No decision has yet been taken on whether to pursue a future large-scale project beyond Sizewell C.

DESNZ is currently analysing the responses received. We will publish a government response setting out our next steps in due course.

Earlier this year we published the draft of a refreshed planning framework for new nuclear, EN-7, that enables developers to identify their own sites for nuclear development, including accommodating small and advanced modular reactors. Developers are encouraged to identify potentially suitable sites and technologies using the framework as EN-7 moves towards designation.

Great British Energy - Nuclear owns sites at Wylfa (Ynys Mon/ Anglesey) and Oldbury-on-Severn (Gloucestershire), although no decisions have yet been taken on any projects to be deployed at sites. We will set out our plans in due course

The government has been working with Ofgem to drive a step-change in customer service through the regulator's Consumer Confidence programme. This includes reviewing the rules around billing accuracy and complaint handling so that suppliers get it right first time.

Further, the government has been working with Ofgem to ensure that when things do go wrong, households get fairer, quicker, easier compensation. This includes looking at expanding automatic compensation to cover more key issues and at further increasing the value of base-level compensation from £40 to reflect the inconvenience for consumers when they are let down by their supplier.

The Government is making is easier for households to install heat pumps. This includes increasing the budget for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and amending Permitted Development Rights in England to give households greater flexibility to install a heat pump.

Our schemes such as the Warm Homes: Local Grant, Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Energy Company Obligation provide support for energy efficiency measures and low carbon technologies like heat pumps.

The Warm Homes Plan (WHP) will focus on ensuring homes are more comfortable to live in and cheaper to heat. In many cases, that will mean improvements to the fabric of the building in order to maximise the bill savings and thermal comfort, alongside switching to low carbon heat. Further detail on the WHP will be announced by October.

The Government is always considering how to improve access to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) to boost deployment and support more property owners to transition to low carbon heating.

On 30 April, the Government launched a consultation on potential changes to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, including proposals to support air-to-air heat pumps and alternative electric heating technologies such as heat batteries. The consultation closed on the 11 June, and a government response will be set out in due course.

Regional growth is one of the three sub-objectives of our Industrial Strategy. The growth potential of clean energy innovation, supply chain scale-up, and deployment mean that there are opportunities across the whole UK.

The Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan, published as part of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy on 23^rd June, introduces policies that will support industries such as offshore wind and nuclear to capitalise on growth opportunities across the country, including in the Southwest. Additionally, ministers have also engaged in discussions regarding strategic regional investment sites, including in the Southwest of England.

The Sector Plan outlines several national initiatives, including a £1 billion Clean Energy Supply Chains Fund, of which £300 million is dedicated to strengthening offshore wind supply chains; a £544 million Clean Industry Bonus for offshore wind, and the Heat Pump Investment Accelerator, offering grants to manufacturers. Furthermore, over £2.5 billion has been allocated to support Small Modular Reactors, with a further £2.5 billion committed to fusion energy over the next five years.

The geological disposal facility will isolate and secure radioactive waste against credible threats, in accordance with regulatory requirements. The design of the facility will incorporate international learning, to contain the waste in engineered vaults at a depth of hundreds of metres, so that no harmful quantity of radioactivity reaches the surface environment. The independent Office for Nuclear Regulation is responsible for assessing the safety and approving security arrangements for the facility, and for securing compliance with those arrangements once a nuclear site licence has been granted.

The Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan will enable Government to seize the growth opportunities from the Clean Energy Superpower Mission, creating good jobs across the country. By supporting the development of sustainable supply chains, the Sector Plan will contribute to environmental objectives. The Plan will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and support cleaner industrial processes, reducing air and water pollution.

The specific environmental impacts of policies under the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan will be assessed via the policy development and implementation process, in line with the Environmental Principles Policy Statement (EPPS). Where trade-offs occur between emissions reductions and environmental impacts, mitigations will be taken to minimise such harms.

There has been rapid growth in clean technology adoption such as EVs and heat pumps over the last year.

Over this Parliament the government will be working relentlessly to translate the much cheaper wholesale costs of clean power into lower bills for consumers, including addressing the price disparity between electricity and gas to attract more consumers to adopt clean technologies.

The Government’s 'minded to' position of bill discounts of up to £2,500 over 10 years for those living up to 500m from new and significantly upgraded electricity transmission infrastructure aims to ensure communities are recognised for living within proximity of new infrastructure.

On 21 May, the government published a working paper on community benefits and shared ownership of low carbon energy infrastructure. The paper seeks views on the proposed introduction of a mandatory community benefit scheme in Great Britain, which would require developers to contribute a set amount to a community fund. The working paper intends to gather insight into what level of benefit is appropriate and how best this is calculated. The government will need to consider the impact on operational costs for developers of infrastructure, impacts on bills, and meaningful level of benefit for communities.

The government maintains regular engagement with key industry and community stakeholders across the country, which continues to inform policy development.

On 21 May, the government published a working paper on community benefits and shared ownership of low carbon energy infrastructure. The paper seeks views on the proposed introduction of a mandatory community benefit scheme in Great Britain, which would require developers to contribute a set amount to a community fund. The working paper intends to gather insight into what level of benefit is appropriate and how best this is calculated. The government will need to consider the impact on operational costs for developers of infrastructure, impacts on bills, and meaningful level of benefit for communities.

The government maintains regular engagement with key industry and community stakeholders across the country, which continues to inform policy development.

On 21 May, the government published a working paper on community benefits and shared ownership of low carbon energy infrastructure. The paper seeks views on the proposed introduction of a mandatory community benefit scheme in Great Britain, which would require developers to contribute a set amount to a community fund. The working paper intends to gather insight into what level of benefit is appropriate and how best this is calculated. The government will need to consider the impact on operational costs for developers of infrastructure, impacts on bills, and meaningful level of benefit for communities.

The government maintains regular engagement with key industry and community stakeholders across the country, which continues to inform policy development.

On 21 May, the government published a working paper on community benefits and shared ownership of low carbon energy infrastructure. The paper seeks views on the proposed introduction of a mandatory community benefit scheme in Great Britain, which would require developers to contribute a set amount to a community fund. The working paper intends to gather insight into what level of benefit is appropriate and how best this is calculated. The government will need to consider the impact on operational costs for developers of infrastructure, impacts on bills, and meaningful level of benefit for communities.

The government maintains regular engagement with key industry and community stakeholders across the country, which continues to inform policy development.

The Department does not hold data on the value of community benefits payments made by onshore and offshore renewables across Great Britain. Community benefit schemes are administered by the projects themselves and provided voluntarily. We have however, recently publishing a Working Paper on mandatory community benefits and responses to this will help inform our evidence base.

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK

In developing the government’s policy on community benefits, we have undertaken a review of international best practices to ensure our approach is effective and well-informed. This has included consideration of the Offshore Renewable Energy Support Scheme/Renewable Electricity Support Scheme in Ireland and other international examples.

The government believes community fund packages will have the most impact if they can be tailored to the community’s preferences and priorities. The process should be community led and decisions on how community benefit funds are spent should rest with the community. This may include, for example, new school clubs, new bus routes, investment in biodiversity or local insulation.

Communities close to clean energy infrastructure should benefit from it. Offshore wind developers have established community benefit packages, and via the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the Government has published guidance on community funds and direct benefits in the form of bill discounts.

The Government has recently asked for views on the proposed introduction of a mandatory community benefit scheme in Great Britain and will respond in due course.

The Department is supporting clean energy initiatives in Eastbourne through funding and regional delivery mechanisms. The Greater South East Net Zero Hub provides technical and coordination support to local authorities and community groups to develop renewable energy projects.

The Community Energy Fund offers grants of up to £140,000 for feasibility and business case development of community-led schemes. A further £1.28 million has been allocated to the Hub for 2025/26 through the Great British Energy Community Fund to continue supporting clean energy delivery in the region. Eastbourne-based projects are eligible to apply.

At present, the provision of community benefits in Great Britain is voluntary . In Scotland, developers are strongly encouraged to provide community benefits in line with the Scottish Government’s Good Practice Principles.

The government is, currently exploring mandating community benefits as we believe that where communities host this low carbon infrastructure they should benefit and the proposals were set out in the working paper the government published on 21 May.

Under voluntary or mandatory schemes, the process should be community led and the fund tailored to local priorities so that the impact can be maximized.

The Warm Homes Plan will help households take up measures like solar panels, heat pumps, batteries and insulation, helping them save money on their bills and benefit from cleaner, cheaper heating. The government expect most properties will switch to heat pumps.

The government is analysing responses to the consultation on potential changes to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which included proposals to support air-to-air heat pumps and alternative electric heating technologies. The government will continue to review their position on alternative electric heating technologies as the supporting evidence base develops.

Further detail on the Warm Homes Plan will be set out by October.

Between January 2013 and April 2025, 889,589 boilers and 13 biomass boilers were installed under the Energy Company Obligation.

Between May 2022 and May 2025, 407 vouchers for biomass boilers were granted under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

No boilers were installed through the Home Upgrade Grant, Local Authority Delivery scheme, the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund or Great British Insulation Scheme.

Only biomass boilers are eligible for support under the Warm Homes: Local Grant and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund. The schemes started delivery in April 2025 and therefore installation figures are not yet available.

The Warm Homes Plan will help households, including those in Eastbourne, take up measures like solar panels, heat pumps, batteries and insulation, helping them save money on their bills and benefit from cleaner, cheaper heating. Support is available under current government schemes including the Energy Company Obligation, the Great British Insulation Scheme, the Warm Homes: Local Grant, the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Recommendations for home energy improvements is also available at the GOV.UK ‘Find Ways to Save Energy in Your Home’ webpage.

Further detail on the Warm Homes Plan will be set out by October.

The Government knows that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges. We are committed to lowering the cost of standing charges and have worked constructively with the regulator, Ofgem, on this issue.

Ofgem have been considering how to ensure that consumers have a range of choices, including tariffs with no standing charges, available, including for prepayment meter customers. Ofgem launched a consultation on proposals to introduce zero standing charge tariffs which closed on 20 March. Ofgem will issue a response to this consultation in due course.

The Government's review of the 2021 fuel poverty strategy and the latest fuel poverty statistics confirm that a new plan is needed to accelerate progress to alleviate fuel poverty. We have therefore consulted on a revised fuel poverty strategy, with a focus on improving the energy performance of homes, supporting low-income households with energy affordability and protecting them from high prices. The consultation closed on 4 April and we are considering the responses received.

It is imperative that fuel poor homes benefit from the transition to net zero. We are investing £13.2bn in the Warm Homes Plan over the Spending Review period (up to 2029/30), in line with the Manifesto commitment. This is a major step forward in the Government’s plans to upgrade 5 million homes over this Parliament and cut energy bills for good.

Support is also available through the Warm Home Discount schemes which provide eligible low-income households across Great Britain with £150 off their winter energy bill. On 19 June we announced that we are expanding the Warm Home Discount to around an additional 2.7 million households. This means that from next winter, around 6 million low-income households will receive the £150 support to help with their energy bill costs.

The Department does not hold local authority level data on RTS meters in residences or businesses. Ofgem data shows that as of 30 May, 105,879 RTS meters remain in premises in Scotland.

Energy suppliers have contacted all premises with RTS meters and Ofgem is encouraging customers to book an appointment to ensure they are provided with a replacement meter as soon as possible.

The RTS signal will be switched off in carefully targeted local areas, where suppliers are ready to respond quickly in case of any issues, starting from 30 June.

Industry’s phase out plan will be flexible and subject to change, as suppliers must demonstrate to Ofgem and Government that they are sufficiently prepared before they can proceed. Households will be contacted by their energy suppliers to inform them well ahead of time of any phase out activity in their area. Ofgem will also contact local authorities to inform them of planned activity in their area ahead of any switch off.

DESNZ has stepped in to ensure there will be a managed and more controlled start of the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) phase out from 30 June. People with an RTS meter will not face any unexpected disruption to their heating or hot water when the phase out begins.

The RTS Taskforce, which is attended by Government, has agreed that resources should be targeted towards regional hotspots, such as Scotland, with a high number of RTS meters and it is leading work to ensure suppliers have sufficient installer capacity to replace RTS meters in residential and business premises across GB.

As RTS meters typically control heating and hot water on a separate circuit to a premises' electricity, consumers should not be at risk of losing their electricity supply.

There are now technical solutions available to allow the replacement of all RTS meters.