UK unveils clean power plan to tackle ‘volatile’ fossil fuel market

THE UK has committed £40bn (US$50.5bn) to an ambitious clean energy plan to curb its “over-reliance” on fossil fuels.

The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan highlights the new government's strategy to boost renewable energy production and capacity and reduce the UK’s carbon intensity to below 50gCO2e/kWh by the end of the decade.

The government aims to increase offshore wind capacity from 14.8 GW today to around 43–50 GW by 2030, while also increasing battery storage and long duration energy storage to 27–33 GW.

Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, said: “2030 is just six years away, and we are under no illusions about the scale of the task ahead.”

He added: “Ultimately, we need to move fast and build things to deliver the once-in-a-generation upgrade of our energy infrastructure Britain needs.”

Grid connections

The government describes the UK’s “sprint” to clean homegrown energy as a solution to taking back control of its energy security.

Among its critical infrastructure reforms, the plan pinpoints grid connections and planning as the areas that need the most change.

The grid connection backlog has grown to a capacity of 739 GW over the last five years, with most projects on the waiting list being for solar and energy storage.

To reduce the queue, the government intends to remove slow-moving or stalled projects to make way for ones that are expected to be ready the soonest. They expect this will unlock billions of pounds of investment into renewables.

Renewables delivery

By the end of the decade, the government aims to more than double the UK’s total renewable capacity.

To reach this target, the government’s flagship Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme will look to secure at least 12 GW across the next two to three allocation rounds. The most recent CfD round secured projects worth just under 10 GW, enough to power 11m homes.

The action plan also focuses on nuclear technologies, explaining how the government will work with British energy provider EDF Energy to deliver both Hinkley Point C, which includes a European pressurised reactor with a capacity of 3.2 GW before 2030, and prolong operations of two advanced gas-cooled reactors, with a combined capacity of 2.4 GW.

The plan states: “The impact of these activities could be significant in helping ensure a reliable supply of low-carbon electricity, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting the overall decarbonisation of the power sector.”

Workforce boost

To realise the clean energy aims, the government expects “hundreds of thousands of jobs to be created, including technical engineers and professionals with transferable skills from oil and gas.

However, there remains a skills gap in the renewables sector, which the government says it will reduce by retraining and upskilling the existing workforce and increasing the awareness of green jobs and skills, specifically in the regional areas of the UK.

The plan states: “Our approach to delivering Clean Power 2030 presents a unique opportunity for government and industry to come together to more proactively plan and coordinate supply chain and workforce delivery.”