Recommendation 7

Low-carbon heating will increase demand for electricity, but the government’s plans to decarbonise power have been delayed substantially. Heat pumps may change existing patterns around the demand for electricity, and DESNZ recognises that it needs to make sure the power system can manage peaks and troughs throughout the day. Low-carbon flexible sources of generation will be important to help manage a grid that is reliant on renewable energy, particularly offshore wind and solar electricity generation that is determined by the weather. The main technologies for this will be carbon capture, hydrogen power and long-duration energy storage, particularly needed during the winter months. DESNZ has, however delayed its delivery target to pull together the different plans for decarbonising power from December 2023 to mid-2024. We previously warned that the lack of an overarching delivery plan makes it difficult for DESNZ to understand the decisions and timings it must take to achieve its ambition to decarbonise the power sector by