• The new BICS scheme is not designed to drive electrification and decarbonisation and may be better understood as short-term relief.  

• The EII Supercharger also provides important relief for some energy-intensive industries, but many manufacturers remain outside its scope.  

This is particularly concerning given the continued uncertainty around the long-awaited Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, which remains unpublished and may not provide the clarity or scope industry needs. 

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) account for 99% of the business population in the UK and over a third of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. Rising cost pressures are increasingly limiting SME’s ability to drive growth in local economies and contribute to the UK’s net‑zero transition. Many firms are postponing or scaling back green investment, and NatWest’s latest growth tracker shows that only 30% of firms consider sustainability a high priority, the lowest since early 2020. 

There will be strategic, area-based coordination so that the electricity grid can keep pace with electrification and the rollout of clean technologies. This involves increased planning at a local level, bringing together DNOs, local authorities, strategic mayoral authorities, and other local/regional stakeholders (energy suppliers, housing associations, community energy groups etc).  

The Plan indicates that the Government considers home upgrades to be the best tool to fight fuel poverty and lower bills. The existing retrofit system is too complex, fragmented, and inconsistent, which leads to poor consumer experiences (including the recent case with ECO). The Government says that it will simplify certification structures, strengthen accountability, and consider moving oversight under closer government control and the WHA. 

From 2027 the WHA will provide impartial advice and clear information (online and by phone) on home upgrades to consumers in partnership with the private sector and third party advice sector. Services will be integrated with local advice providers to reach harder‑to‑engage communities. 

Now the UK Government has determined that the technology has advanced sufficiently to warrant introducing planning legislation that will facilitate the development of prototypes and demonstrator facilities. 

The Government has made an initial consultation the need for a framework on how proposals for such facilities should be developed. There is a need for regulatory clarity, and that regulation must cover whichever fusion technology is being employed, for whichever output, thermal or electrical.   

On 8 June 2026 the Government put forward its proposal EN-8, a national policy planning statement for the generation of fusion energy. 

Consultation and scrutiny of EN-8 

The National Policy Statement for Nuclear Energy Generation (EN-8) has been put forward to help guide planners as they seek to make decisions on siting new nuclear fusion infrastructure.   

Under the Planning Act 2008, a National Policy Statement (NPS) like EN-8 must undergo public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny before it can be formally designated.   

The full draft text of EN-8 is currently under consultation by the Government and the Committee is beginning the parliamentary scrutiny process, offering industry, experts, and the public the opportunity to comment as it examines the implications of the framework set out in EN-8.   

What is EN-8?  

EN-8 is intended to become the principal guide for decisions on nuclear fusion power stations in England and Wales.  

Nuclear fission infrastructure is regulated under EN-7, supporting development of nuclear technologies like Small Modular Reactors and Advanced Modular Reactors and traditional gigawatt-scale plants.  The significant difference in technology means that the Government intends for nuclear fusion to be managed entirely separately from nuclear fission. 

The aim is to create clarity, allowing interested investors and developers to have more confidence in bringing forward projects that will result in fusion energy contributing to the grid by 2040.  The draft EN-8 focuses on environmental, safety & security, operational and developmental themes with detailed requirements for developers and the Planning Inspectorate in these areas. 

The Government has indicated that the Committee process must be complete by 30 November.