One year of the clean power mission. Where have we come from and where are we going?
Labour came into government last July under the promise to make Great Britain (GB) a clean energy superpower. A year on, we reflect on how milestones of the past 12 months build on two decades of energy policy.
It was Boris Johnson, not Ed Miliband, who first accelerated the UK’s target of generating enough electricity from clean energy sources to meet the country’s total annual electricity demand. In 2021, the former Prime Minister committed to a decarbonised GB grid by 2035 – a move which brought forward the previous target by 15 years.
Fast forward to 2025, Clean Power 2030 is now in the driving seat of UK energy policy, overtaking a delayed Scottish energy strategy to further accelerate GB’s journey to a clean energy system – but it’s just one hurdle on a longer track race to 2050.
Since 2008, the UK has been aiming to reduce its carbon emissions by 100% from 1990 levels by 2050. The Conservatives placed this target into law in 2019 with 145 countries sharing ‘net-zero’ targets. They collectively represent 70% of global GDP with clean energy spending now surpassing fossil fuel spending at a ratio of 2:1.
Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022 brought the UK’s exposure to volatile wholesale gas markets into sharp focus, putting energy security into the same breath as national and economic security. In response, the Conservatives raised the UK’s offshore wind target to 50GW – this came hot on the heels of the ScotWind leasing round.
For every milestone in UK energy policy, there have been several more cross-party decisions and strategies to advance them. After decades of underinvestment in our grid networks and a pressing need to secure a homegrown supply of clean power, the following events have incentivised the investment plans we can see today:
January 2022: Crown Estate Scotland announced the 17 successful bidders of the ScotWind offshore wind leasing round.
April 2022: The Conservative Government increased the offshore wind target to 50GW by 2030 in the British Energy Security Strategy.
July 2022: The Energy Systems Operator (ESO) published the Holistic Network Design (HND) – detailing how the first 11GW tranche of projects from ScotWind will be connected to the grid.
December 2022: Ofgem confirmed the new electricity network projects in the Accelerating Strategic Transmission Infrastructure (ASTI) programme – detailing how 50GW of offshore wind will be connected to the grid by 2030.
August 2023: The UK’s independent Electricity Networks Commissioner, Nick Winser published his recommendations on how to accelerate the delivery of new electricity networks – including a recommendation to establish a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) to forecast the likely whereabouts of future clean power supply and demand.
November 2023: The Conservative Government published the Transmission Acceleration Action Plan and Connections Action Plan – detailing how average grid connection delays of five years will be cut to six months.
November 2023: Ofgem approved the ESO’s programme of reforms to the grid connections process – aiming to cut nearly 800GW worth of projects in the queue and prioritise operational projects.
March 2024: ESO published the Transitional Centralised Strategic Network Plan 2 (TCSNP2), also known as the ‘Beyond 2030’ report – detailing how 21GW of offshore wind will be connected to the grid after 2030.
August 2024: The National Energy Systems Operator (NESO) published advice on Clean Power 2030 – outlining why the UK needs to build twice as much transmission networks in the next five years than was built in the past decade.
October 2024: The UK, Scottish and Welsh governments commissioned the SSEP – supported by Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs).
December 2024: The Labour Government published the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.
April 2025: Ofgem confirmed its final connections reform process.
With the Labour Government publishing in recent weeks the Industrial Strategy, Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan, Solar Roadmap and Onshore Wind Strategy, attention will rightly turn from policy development to project delivery.
Successfully maximising Scotland’s pipeline of clean energy projects in the next Contracts for Difference Allocation Rounds to secure much needed investment is an immediate priority. But we shouldn't lose sight of the race to 2050 either.
This week’s confirmation of reformed national pricing has underscored how central the SSEP, supported by Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs), will be in the years ahead for the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments.
As a strategic blueprint for GB’s energy system, the SSEP will provide a coordinated approach to 2050. Achieving clean power by 2030 will be fundamental to its success and help us maximise all future demand and decarbonisation opportunities.