‘Step change’ needed to ensure new UK energy infrastructure delivers on climate change target

Proposed changes to the UK government’s approvals process for energy infrastructure, such as new power stations and wind farms, fail to provide the “step change” needed to meet net zero targets, MPs have warned.

A review by the House of Commons business, energy and industrial strategy select committee said the draft of the new legal framework needed to be “more explicit” about the government’s commitment to hitting net zero by 2050 to ensure climate change is prioritised in planning decisions.

The MPs also called on ministers to include onshore wind in the updated document, known as a National Policy Statement (NPS) for energy, after it was removed in 2016 by David Cameron’s government because the technology was unpopular with voters.

New technologies such as carbon capture and hydrogen should also be included so they can be approved more quickly, the MPs added. They also said that instead of having separate NPS for different sectors there should be an overarching document covering them all, including transport, water and aviation. This would provide consistency and allow for more frequent updates as government policy changes.

Darren Jones, chair of the committee, said the government had a “huge amount” of work to do to deliver the energy infrastructure required to address climate change, move away from fossil fuels and achieve its target of net zero emissions by 2050. 

“More needs to be done on how this work links to reform of the planning system and the increased delivery of infrastructure across the UK,” he said.

The report comes as UK households are facing sharp rises in energy bills as a result of the spike in global gas prices, in part caused by Russia restricting supplies in the build up to its invasion of Ukraine.

“The best way to disentangle ourselves from international markets pressures such as President Putin cutting off gas supplies is to transition away from fossil fuels to renewables. That’s why it’s so important that planning policy is aligned with net zero,” said Simon Cran-McGreehin, head of analysis at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit think-tank.

Around 40 per cent of the UK’s electricity generation came from renewables including wind farms in 2020, up from 7 per cent a decade ago, according to the ECIU.

Chris Richards, director of policy at the Institution of Civil Engineers, welcomed the single NPS to cover all economic infrastructure sectors. “An overarching NPS is fundamental to improving the relationship between the national infrastructure strategy and planning policy, driving forward development in a consistent way on issues such as climate change,” he said.

The government said: “We are working to ensure we have the energy infrastructure in place to reach net zero by 2050, and since 2010 we have delivered a 500 per cent increase in the amount of renewable energy capacity connected to the grid — more than any other government in British history.”