Clean power 2030 action plan : a new era of clean electricity

Title page 1

Contents 3

Summary 10

Why Clean Power by 2030? 17

Protecting energy consumers for good 21

Ensuring energy security 23

Our pathway to 2030 25

Defining the Clean Power target 25

What a Clean Power system will look like 28

Delivering Clean Power 2030 35

The role of a clean power system in reaching net zero by 2050 38

Integrating clean power and the natural environment 41

Supporting businesses and promoting growth 43

How Clean Power 2030 will transform our energy system 45

What Clean Power means for local places 47

Removing roadblocks: lowering barriers to investment, development and deployment 49

Planning and consenting 50

Electricity Networks and connections 62

Great British Energy 70

Renewable and nuclear project delivery 71

Reforming our electricity markets 85

Short‑duration flexibility 93

Long‑duration flexibility 108

Supply chains and workforce 119

Taking us to 2030: Our approach to delivery 130

Leveraging the UK's industrial expertise 131

Tracking and supporting delivery of the system as a whole 131

Taking a data driven approach 132

An industry forum for system-level supply chain and workforce planning 132

The key role of the Devolved Governments 134

Role of power sector actors 135

Tables 32

Table 1. Installed capacity in 2030 in the NESO 'Further Flex and Renewables' and 'New Dispatch' scenarios, and the DESNZ 'Clean Power Capacity Range',... 32

Table 2. Nuclear reactors that will impact installed capacity in 2030 81

Table 3. Battery‑specific hurdles and actions 96

Table 4. Consumer‑led flexibility‑specific hurdles and enablers 101

Table 5. Consumer‑led flexibility and battery storage common enabler hurdles and actions 104

Table 6. Electricity interconnection hurdles and actions 107

Figures 27

Figure 1. Shares of electricity generated (GWh), 2023 27

Figure 2. Electricity generation mix (TWh), 2000-2023 28

Figure 3. Modelled 7‑day hourly generation profile in 2030 in the NESO 'Further Flex and Renewables' Scenario (MW) 29

Figure 4. Modelled 7‑day hourly generation profile in 2030 in the NESO 'New Dispatch' Scenario (MW) 30

Figure 5. Historical 7-day hourly generation profile in 2023 (MW) 30

Figure 6. Installed capacity in 2030 in the NESO 'Further Flex and Renewables' and 'New Dispatch' scenarios, compared to current installed capacity (GW) 33

Figure 7. Generation in 2030 in the NESO 'Further Flex and Renewables' and 'New Dispatch' scenarios, compared to current generation (TWh) 34

Figure 8. Changes in consumer electricity demand (TWh annual demand, GW peak demand), 2023‑ 2030 35

Figure 9. Average annual investment in the NESO 'Further Flex and Renewables' and 'New Dispatch' scenarios, 2025‑2030, £ billions, 2024 prices, undiscounted 37

Figure 10. Nationally Signficant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) planning process flowchart 53

Figure 11. Transmission network project maturity and delivery timeline 64

Figure 12. Current connections queue compared to current installed capacity and NESO 'Further Flex and Renewables' and 'New Dispatch' scenarios (GW) 65

Figure 13. Consumer‑led flexibility at peak (GW), 2023‑2030 99

Figure 14. Similarity of skills demanded by online job adverts across several carbon-intensive and clean energy sectors 123