Akshay Kaul

National Grid has unveiled a significant reshaping of its approach to delivering substation infrastructure across England and Wales, aiming to accelerate the completion of crucial projects underpinning the UK’s clean energy shift Full story:

56

1 Comment

Apparently this needs repeating (again) Dhara Vyas, chief executive of industry body Energy UK tells Carbon Brief that it is “crystal clear what has driven electricity bills up in the UK…it’s the wholesale costs, driven by the price of gas”. https://lnkd.in/ew7GvMXg

367

104 Comments

Great to hear Chancellor Rt Hon Rachel Reeves affirm that energy security is national security in today’s Spring Spending Review. We welcome the Government’s commitment to fund vital carbon capture projects, including The Acorn Project in Scotland, which we’re proud to partner on. This is a clear recognition of the pivotal role CCS will play in decarbonising our economy, securing Britain’s energy, and creating the jobs of the future. The Spending Review marks real progress in enabling the decarbonisation of industry, a critical step on the UK’s journey to clean, secure energy. It’s encouraging to see targeted investment in CCS and the infrastructure that will power our low-carbon future and unlock Clean Power ambitions. At National Gas, we’re ready to deliver with our SCO₂T Connect project, a critical onshore pipeline that will transport captured CO₂ from major industrial sites to the Acorn storage facility at St Fergus. SCO₂T Connect is a key enabler of the Acorn Project. This infrastructure will be a game-changer for Scotland’s decarbonisation, unlocking billions in economic value and securing the future of key industries. With Government support now in place, the sector has the clarity it needs to move faster, invest with confidence, and deliver real impact. A major step forward, and one we’re proud to help lead, alongside our industry partners and Government. HM Treasury

419

16 Comments

From Home Heating to Energy Transformation: The Persistent Significance of Gas The latest Market Update on the Future of Gas from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero signifies a pivotal moment—not merely for policymakers, but for all stakeholders in the United Kingdom’s energy system. We commend the Government’s acknowledgment of gas as a fundamental pillar of energy security, a pivotal facilitator of the transition, and a catalyst for innovation. This update and the accompanying consultations and call for evidence also bring a welcome dose of pragmatism – that as we strive towards net zero there should be no cliff-edges, no wishful thinking and a focus on repurposing the assets and capabilities that have kept Britain moving for generations. This is something we’ve thought a lot about at Centrica. Earlier this year we marked the 40th anniversary of our Morecambe gas fields - a powerful reminder of the role gas has played in powering homes, fuelling growth and underpinning our energy resilience. But that same site, Morecambe, now represents the future too: a world-class carbon storage hub, capable of cutting emissions from energy-intensive industries like cement and lime by up to 40%. A new chapter in an existing story. We’ve always said the energy transition must be secure, affordable and fair. Gas - and particularly gas storage - is key to that. Today, our Rough facility provides 50% of the UK’s gas storage. With the right regulatory framework, we’re ready to invest £2bn to repurpose and expand it, strengthening our ability to weather global shocks and keep energy affordable. Of course, this isn’t just about platforms and pipelines. This matters for people too. Behind every energy transition milestone are the hands that make it happen – including our 7,000 amazing skilled, unionised engineers whose expertise has kept Britain’s homes warm for decades, and will be just as vital in building and running the net zero infrastructure of the future Today’s update makes clear: the future of gas must be planned, not assumed. Resilience, investment, and transition must go hand in hand. That means repurposing infrastructure, protecting consumers, and accelerating technologies like hydrogen and CCUS. Hydrogen, gas, and electricity are deeply interconnected. Markets, policy and infrastructure must reflect that. Transition is not a straight line - it’s a system shift.

164

6 Comments

"All the initial plans right from Obasanjo, with over $16 billion investments in the power sector...what are the results of these up till today?" Olusesan Okunade, FCTI, FCA says the government should investigate the causes of inefficiency in the power sector.

16

At a time when significant investment is needed to deliver the UK Government’s clean power mission, today’s decision not to move forward with zonal pricing is important: it reduces uncertainty and risk for developers ahead of the next renewables auction, making it possible to invest at a lower cost for consumers. As one of the UK’s largest developers and power generators, this is especially important for us. In the UK and all of our markets we share a common objective: shaping and rebuilding the energy system as cost-efficiently as possible. Reforming the national market, including grid charges, to ensure there are clear, enduring signals for generation to be located in the right place can deliver the desired efficiencies, with minimal disruption during this period of significant investment and change.    We look forward to constructively supporting the UK Government’s reform of the national market.

579

13 Comments

📢 BIG BOOST FOR BRITAIN 📢 The National Wealth Fund has announced a commitment to back Iberdrola & ScottishPower's grid upgrades. Unlocking renewables, creating jobs & accelerating clean energy for the UK. 👉 https://bit.ly/431S6LZ

258

2 Comments

Malcolm Keay article in latest Oxford Institute for Energy Studies Energy Forum on Al electricity demand and electricity market reform with focus on the UK Link to the Forum: https://lnkd.in/ecgeaEfA 💠 At first glance, AI energy use and electricity market reform may seem to be only tangentially related 💠 However, in practice the connections can be close and numerous, and sometimes fraught—especially in the United Kingdom 💠 The complications there arise because of three policy priorities, which are particularly prominent in the UK (though they are also important for many other countries): 1️⃣ Decarbonization of electricity: The UK has very ambitious (and legally binding) climate targets—for instance, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 68 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030, as compared with the EU target of 55 per cent. The Starmer government has also set itself the (non legally binding) goal of decarbonizing electricity by that date. 2️⃣ AI superpower aspirations: The UK aims to be an AI superpower and world leader. The government published an ambitious AI Opportunities Action Plan in January 2025, setting out proposals for achieving this goal 🔹 The aim itself is not entirely unrealistic. The UK already ranks globally at number 3 in AI (after the US and China) on some measures— for instance, Stanford University lists it as third in the world in AI investment, and the Action Plan describes it as the world’s third largest AI market 🔹 Nonetheless, the UK is a long way behind the US and China, and many other countries also have very ambitious plans for AI; it will require sustained effort to maintain, much less improve, the UK’s relative position. 3. Electricity market reform: The UK embarked on a significant electricity market reform over a decade ago, and more recently (since 2022) has been undertaking a Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA), which is now approaching the policy implementation stage 🔹 The UK has long been something of a pioneer in this area, for instance adopting two-way contracts for difference many years before the EU, and has been undertaking a much wider-ranging review than its EU counterparts 🔹 It has recognized that the market needs further reform if the UK is to meet its climate targets; so in all these areas, the UK has pressing goals to deliver 💠 But it is not clear that it has sought to analyse the interlinkages between them in any depth 💠 The AI Action Plan says very little about the electricity demand of AI, and the REMA discussions barely mention AI, an omission which could be storing up problems for the future #AI #electricity #electrictydemand #powersectorreform #decarbonization #UK

31

1 Comment