NEWS | Hannah Corbett | February 2025

The Head of the Clean Power Mission, Chris Stark, joined the Centre for Energy Policy to celebrate its 10th anniversary by delivering a lecture on the UK Government’s ambition to generate at least 95% of its electricity from clean sources by 2030. 

Established in 2014, CEP continues to shape energy policy and, as the University of Strathclyde’s Principal Professor Sir Jim McDonald highlighted, plays a pivotal role in Strathclyde’s energy research ecosystem. In his opening remarks, the Principal underscored the need for an economic and societal focus, as well as a technological one, in delivering net zero and related actions such as realising clean power. Not least to ensure a just transition with well-paid jobs. 

Clean Power Mission driving investment policy action across UK Government 

In his lecture Chris Stark emphasised the commitment that exists at the highest levels within UK Government to delivering clean power. Moreover, that it was a driving force for investment (£40 billion a year, anticipated to come mainly from the private sector) and policy action across Government, not just within the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). For example, in relation to the development of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill being led by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. 

In setting out the Government’s action plan for achieving clean power and the analysis commissioned by Government from the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to inform these plans, Chris Stark underlined how the clean power mission was putting in place the pathways for the UK to achieve its long-term net zero journey by 2050. He also reflected on how the journey post 2030 would potentially be a more complex one, and that accelerating progress towards clean power by 2030 was vital for what followed. 

Planning for change – to 2030 and beyond 

By detailing the energy mix needed for the 2030 power system around which a dashboard of live projects was being built, Chris Stark argued that a foundation for wider policy action and planning had been established. For example, decisions around repurposing and decommissioning assets such as pipelines and re-prioritising those projects waiting for connections to the grid. 

This focus on planning and timing and sequencing is a factor that CEP’s research has consistently highlighted as vital to securing the most positive GDP and jobs outcomes from investing in energy and wider net zero transitions. Our recent work exploring the economy-wide impacts of SP Energy Networks’ investment in the electricity transmission network as part of the RIIO-T3 price control period and linked to the Ofgem growth duty shows that early and planned investment could support net GDP and employment uplifts of up to 2 billion per annum and 11,500 jobs, and small net gains in real income and spending by UK households (averaging at £60 per annum). In this, and other work, the need to understand what will be required in terms of a skilled workforce and how this can be developed given current persistent skills and worker shortages is clear, and a point raised by Chris Stark in the lecture. 

Bringing the public along on the journey to net zero 

Following the lecture, CEP Director, Professor Karen Turner, CEP Deputy Director Jamie Speirs and Chris Stark discussed several pressing issues related to achieving clean power and wider net zero ambitions. In particular, the question of affordability and lowering energy bills – of particular significance given the announcement of Ofgem in relation to a price cap rise from April. Chris Stark highlighted that this was probably one of the most challenging issues and highlighted the need for urgent action. For example, on rebalancing gas and electricity prices through the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) process and consideration of initiatives such as ensuring demand flexibility services (allowing households to shift their energy use out of peak times) to households and businesses who need it most. 

The panel also discussed the need to leverage existing local supply chains and infrastructure (e.g., those linked to the oil and gas industry), as well as developing new ones, in achieving clean power and in developing other net zero and green energy projects. Professor Turner argued that this be critical to securing the most positive economic and societal outcomes.  

Furthermore, the panel agreed that a narrative that focused on supporting decent, well-paid jobs, reducing cost-of-living pressures and strengthening energy security was vital in building public support for energy and climate policy. 

Image Credit: Eve Lucas