Recommendation 63

While huge strides have been made by the Government and industry over the last decade to tackle emissions in the power sector, the UK must continue to accelerate its shift away from fossil fuels to clean energy. However, a suite of policy and regulatory barriers are blocking progress to achieving the Government’s target to decarbonise the power system by 2035. Businesses which want to drive the transition forward on the ground are getting caught in red tape. The absence of an overarching delivery plan and lack of ownership of whole system costs has created policy silos and sequencing problems. Low-carbon projects are now facing delays of up to fifteen years to connect to the electricity network, as well as a cumbersome planning regime. The Government has launched a number of welcome consultations across different sectors of the power system which could lead to much needed policy reform, but a resolute focus on delivery is now essential. The Government’s strategy to decarbonise the power sector also includes notable omissions. These include, but are not limited to, policy to deploy onshore wind, measures to reduce energy demand, support for long-duration energy storage, a decision on the use of hydrogen across the economy and clarity on where private finance for nuclear energy projects will come from.