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Shapps: UK to partner with Korea on energy transition – and stand united against Putin’s aggression

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps today joined forces with the Republic of Korea to collaborate ever closer on accelerating the move towards a cleaner, more energy secure future, including renewables and nuclear, while also underlining…

ADBA responds to DESNZ “Powering Up Britain” plans

The Government today unveiled its ‘Powering Up Britain’ papers setting out the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) approach to delivering energy security and net zero. Biomethane is referenced in the “Enhancing Security…

Transport decarbonisation package to help boost net zero ambitions

A robust package of measures to turbocharge the UK’s progress towards decarbonising transport, has today (30 March 2023) been unveiled by the government. The measures will support the shift to electric vehicles (EVs), as well as the…

UK confirms £205 million budget to power more of Britain from Britain

Britain’s rollout of clean, affordable, home-grown energy is moving full speed ahead, with the UK government offering £205 million in its latest renewables auction, boosting energy security, growing our economy and powering more of Britain…

Biogas trade bodies and companies call for an urgent rethink on GHG Protocol guidance for corporate biomethane use reporting

Over 50 biogas and biomethane trade associations and companies from around the world have written to the World Resources Institute (WRI), administrator of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (1), calling for a rethink of its position on the use of…

UK and United Arab Emirates agree to boost energy security and unlock investment

The UK and UAE governments have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which will help facilitate the sharing of technical knowledge, advice, skills and expertise, opening up new avenues for cooperation on energy and climate,…

Business Secretary in talks with Saudi Arabia to advance commercial collaboration in UK space based solar

The UK and Saudi Arabian governments discussed ambitious plans yesterday (Thursday 12 January), for collaboration in space and innovation, including the potential to invest in the development of space based solar power. Business Secretary…

Net Zero Review: UK could do more to reap economic benefits of green growth

The UK’s leadership on tackling climate change has delivered real change at home and led to a global transformation – but more should be done to reap the economic benefits that presents, Chris Skidmore says today. Mission Zero, his Net…

National Highways becomes first roads organisation in the world to achieve global carbon management standard

National Highways has become the first major roads organisation to achieve a globally recognised accreditation for its commitment and ambition to cut carbon. The government-owned company’s carbon management system has achieved PAS 2080…

ADBA National Conference 2022 to make the business case for anaerobic digestion in ensuring energy and food security for the UK

Faced with the energy crisis currently affecting not just the UK but much of the world, the British government is overlooking the gift that is anaerobic digestion (AD), despite the business case for AD development growing stronger by the day.This…

Exemplar approaches to placemaking recognised with the Landscape Institute’s 2022 Building with Nature Award for High-quality Green Infrastructure

Building with Nature supports developers in ‘raising the bar’ for green infrastructure in the built environment Finalists for the Landscape Institute’s 2022 Building with Nature National Award have been announced, and the Award winner…

High-quality green infrastructure is critical to delivering COP27 goals

Oinion | Sophie Jones, Communications and Learning Manager, Building with Nature > As world leaders convene for COP27, dubbed “the implementation COP”, many planners and developers across the UK are working to deliver a local response…

COP27 – World Biogas Association to highlight the critical role of preventing methane emissions from organic wastes in delivering the Global Methane Pledge

The global biogas trade body will host a panel discussion on how to reduce methane emissions from organic wastes in partnership with the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA). *Image, Charlotte Morton, Chief Executive, WBA. The…

The UK Kept 1.5 degrees Alive, A New COP26 Presidency Report Show

The new report, which comes as the UK prepares to hand over to Egypt next week, highlights progress made over the three years since the UK took on the Presidency of the COP. It also acknowledges that more needs to be done at COP27 and beyond…

UK national statement to the IAEA International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power, 2022

Opinion |Joanna Whittington, Director General, Energy & Security, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy > A secure and affordable supply of energy is the foundation of economic growth and prosperity. Without energy security,…

Agreement to progress development of new UK small modular reactors

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cwmni Egino to support their development of a new small scale nuclear project in North Wales. The MoU enables the NDA…

Site of UK’s first fusion energy plant selected

West Burton power station site in Nottinghamshire has been selected as the home for the UK’s prototype fusion energy plant. Today (3 October 2022), the government announced that the West Burton power station site in Nottinghamshire has…

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and National Decommissioning Centre launch research partnership

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and the National Decommissioning Centre (NDC) have signed a three-year collaborative research agreement - the first of its kind between the nuclear and oil and gas decommissioning sectors. The…

Kwarteng advances plans for funding new nuclear projects, including Sizewell C

Significant progress towards implementing a new funding model which will give nuclear projects the financial support they need and attract private investment. The government has published documents which show significant progress towards…

Energy Minister Greg Hands co-chaired the first meeting of the country’s first ever dedicated group for creating UK green job opportunities.

Energy Minister Greg Hands today (11 May) co-chaired the first meeting of the country’s first ever dedicated group for creating UK green job opportunities. The Green Jobs Delivery Group will support the delivery of up to 480,000 skilled…

That’s a wrap for Green Infrastructure Week 2022 – Thank you for getting involved

A huge thank you to the thousands of varying stakeholders who engaged with the inaugural Green Infrastructure Week which took place this week (25/29 April 2022). The national awareness week campaign reached over 230,000 people across the UK…

23 years of learning has brought me to this point

OPINION | By Shawn Coles, Founder of Green Infrastructure Week and Net Zero Week > I am about to turn 47 years old on the 30th July and after having spent 23 years (actually 22 years, 10 months and 23 days) working in climate change media…

FREE TO USE social media cards for Green Infrastructure Week, for any business and anyone

If your organisation would like to join in with Green Infrastructure Week 2022 (25/29 April), then you can freely use a set of predesigned social media cards and the official promotional video optimised for use on LinkedIn, Twitter,…

Will the switch to heat pumps cause more blackouts?

OPINION | By Ali Ehsan and Robin Preece, The University of Manchester > In its bid to achieve the target of net-zero emissions by 2050, the UK government aims to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028. The increased electricity…

Decarbonising energy: why a holistic and systems-based approach is needed

Opinion | Toby Uppington, Senior Vice President - Energy, AECOM > Transitioning to a truly net-zero energy system is a hugely complex task. A systems-based approach is essential — requiring an interlinked appraisal of infrastructure and…

Decarbonisation; capturing the value of hydrogen

OPINION | Companies are facing growing societal, environmental and legislative pressures to decarbonise. To make a strong business case and get the most value out of transitioning to lower carbon fuels such as hydrogen, companies should take…

Climate Perspectives™ magazine | Greg Clark MP “We need to double down on our Net Zero objectives”

When I went to the COP26 conference in Glasgow last year, I was struck by the sense of optimism that globally – at last – most of the major economies of the world had woken up to the need to move at pace towards Net Zero if we are to avert…

Climate Perspectives™ magazine | We need the right infrastructure in the right place to accelerate the electric transition

Climate Perspectives™ magazine | Jonathan Murray, Director of Policy, Zemo Partnership & lead convenor Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce > The dreadful war in Ukraine has added an urgent, new imperative for us to transition as fast…

ADBA to host Food Waste Recycling webinar as part of government-backed UK Green Infrastructure Week

Local authorities are legally required to introduce separate food waste collections from 2023. The government has said AD is the preferred treatment for this resource, to recover valuable renewable energy, fertiliser and increasingly CO2, and…

Climate Perspectives™ magazine | Anaerobic digestion at the heart of the system change needed to achieve Net Zero and energy security

Climate Perspectives™ magazine | By Charlotte Morton, Chief Executive, World Biogas Association > At the end of February, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued part two its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). Entitled Climate…

Climate Perspectives™ magazine | Why Net Zero Needs Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage

By Ruth Herbert, CEO, CCSA > Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) is an absolutely critical solution for delivering net zero emissions due to its ability to decarbonise multiple sectors across the economy. The Climate Change Committee’s Sixth…

Major acceleration of homegrown power in Britain’s plan for greater energy independence

Cleaner and more affordable energy to be made in Great Britain under bold plans to boost long-term energy independence, security and prosperity. The government’s British Energy Security Strategy sets out how Great Britain will accelerate…

EV Energy Taskforce report shows UK can deliver the tenfold increase in chargepoints needed to hit Net Zero target

Taskforce identifies five key conditions to hit the ‘sweet spot’ that meets consumer needs, drives uptake of electric vehicles and provides the right chargepoints in the right places. A new report from the multi-stakeholder…

Kwasi Kwarteng ‘Delivering Great Britain’s energy security’

Opinion | Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for BEIS > I once co-authored a little-known book together, ‘Britannia Unchained’. While this was drafted in a completely different era – before Brexit, net zero targets and COVID-19…

“This [IPCC] report makes clear that the window to keep 1.5 degrees alive is closing alarmingly fast.” says Alok Sharma

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report published today (Monday 4 April) shows growth in global emissions has slowed over the past decade, but much more needs to be done, including halving global emissions…

New energy networks Innovation Strategy takes inclusive, system-wide approach

Energy Networks Association (ENA) has published its first integrated Innovation Strategy, delivering an innovation roadmap for the next generation of gas and electricity network innovation projects which will deliver for consumers across…

Net Zero Needs Nuclear says Tom Greatrex

Opinion | By Tom Greatrex, CEO, Nuclear Industry Association > Net zero needs nuclear because nuclear is green, and we need lots of green. According to the UN, nuclear has the lowest lifecycle carbon use, from mining through decommissioning,…

Climate Perspectives™ magazine | Zero Emissions, Unachievable without Clean Hydrogen says Nadim Chaudhry

Climate Perspectives™ magazine | Nadim Chaudhry, Chief Executive, World Hydrogen Leaders > As Green Power Global we have worked since 2003 in accelerating the energy transition to combat the obvious, clear climate impacts that were baked…

How anaerobic digestion could help deliver the UK’s Net Zero ambition

Opinion | By Jon Hughes, Head of Communications, Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) > Last October, the UK government published its Net Zero strategy, in which it acknowledged the role that anaerobic digestion (AD), biogas…

Tenfold expansion in chargepoints by 2030 as government drives EV revolution

The UK’s charging network has been given a huge boost today (25 March 2022), as government unveils plans to support the UK market to reach 300,000 public electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints by 2030 – equivalent to almost 5…

Project launched to support EV chargepoint infrastructure rollout

The new Geospatial Commission project will explore what electric vehicle chargepoint infrastructure data is needed by local authorities. The Geospatial Commission has today (25 March) launched a discovery project to explore how location…

New energy security strategy provides opportunity to fast-track net zero

Opinion | David Cole, Atkins > The government’s soon to be announced energy security strategy is an opportunity to fast-track the UK’s net zero plans, deliver transformational change and achieve a functioning energy system for decades…

High Speed Rail Group report focusses on net zero

Influential voices from politics, business and environmentalism have joined forces to set out the role of high speed rail in achieving net zero.  A new report published by the High Speed Rail Group (HSRG), High Speed Rail: Net…

Early adopters of Carbon Reduction Code for the Built Environment announced

The first six organisations to sign up to the Carbon Reduction Code for the Built Environment have been announced.  The code, which is hosted by the Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction (CSIC) at the University of Cambridge,…

More ambition needed in EV charging rollout, says new report

Industry experts from across finance, infrastructure, energy, local government and EV charging have collectively called for a fundamental step-change in ambition to supercharge the rollout of EV charging infrastructure to deliver the 2030 ban…

Rick Duke, White House Liaison for John Kerry, and H.E. Hadjia Samira Bawumia, Second Lady of Ghana, to headline World Biogas Summit 2022

How biogas can address methane emissions will be the key theme of this year’s event The World Biogas Association (WBA) has published its preliminary programme for the fourth edition of its flagship event the World Biogas Summit - the only…

Tailoring low-carbon measures to local needs would bring major economic and social benefits, new study finds

New research by PwC has found that ‘place-based’ carbon reduction measures led by UK cities and towns would produce far better environmental, economic and social results, at lower cost, than a national ‘one size fits all’ approach. A…

North Sea Transition Deal cuts emissions as clean energy transition continues

One year since landmark North Sea Transition Deal was agreed between UK government and oil and gas industry to support the sector’s transition to cleaner energy. This week marks one year since the UK government and the oil and gas industry…

Sainsbury’s trials smart plugs on road to net zero

Today Sainsbury's has launched a cutting-edge research and development project with fleet electrification specialists Flexible Power Systems (FPS) as part of its mission to be net zero in its own operations by 2035.  After a successful…

Sunak’s spring statement will need to stimulate spending to stave off inflation effects

Opinion | By Andy Walker, Editor, Infrastructure Intelligence > The industry’s advice to the chancellor as he prepares his spring statement is clear – stick to the government’s long-term infrastructure plans and move ahead with delivering…

Climate Perspectives™ magazine | Why Net Zero needs innovation?

Climate Perspectives™ magazine | By Alan Cowie, Partnership and Communications Lead, Innovate UK KTN. Innovate UK KTN is an organisation which is used to dealing with challenges, and it has an extraordinary ability to build and convene problem-solving…

Construction hits first target on roadmap to net zero

The construction sector has hit its first target in its campaign to drive carbon out of the sector. Last year the Construction Leadership Council launched its CO2nstruct Zero industry change programme with the aim of eradicating carbon from…

Latest NIC report highlights “slow progress” on government’s infrastructure plans

The government is at risk of failing to deliver the aims of its National Infrastructure Strategy unless it picks up the pace with detailed policy design and implementation, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has warned.  In…

Midlands forecasts huge jobs boost in electric vehicle boom

Almost 30,000 new jobs could be created throughout the Midlands as a result of the Electric Vehicle (EV) boom in the Midlands, according to new research by WSP for sub-national transport body Midlands Connect. The research showed that more…

The challenges of switching vehicle fleets to electric, and how to tackle them

Opinion | Steven Meersman, Co-founder and Director at Zenobē > The electrification of vehicle fleets is an important shift happening within the UK transport sector, and for some, a no brainer. The move to alternative-fuelled vehicles will…

In the development of autonomous transportation, we’re all apprentices

Insight | Dr Colin Black, AECOM. Autonomous vehicles (and AECOM's London Aldgate offices) played a star role in a recent episode of The Apprentice, where candidates had to pitch branded pods to potential clients. Our future mobility expert…

Invest in infrastructure to stimulate regional growth, says new report

The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has published a new report which claims that investment in major infrastructure projects is key to stimulating regional economic growth and increasing quality of life. The…

Arcadis and Turner & Townsend extend nuclear deal

Turner & Townsend and Arcadis have been re-appointed to provide project controls and commercial services to support the decommissioning and management of UK nuclear sites by Magnox.  The equal partnership between Turner & Townsend…

Armitt calls for year of infrastructure acceleration not prevarication

Addressing the all party parliamentary group on infrastructure last night, National Infrastructure Commission chair Sir John Armitt outlined the high-level challenges for infrastructure networks over the next 12 months. We publish…

Protecting the nature beneath each new development

Opinion | Georgina Knibbs, principal ecologist at Stantec -  “The construction industry has the responsibility to provide sustainable, future-proof places to live and work and make positive contributions to the natural world.”  Recent…

Tarmac and Align test innovative low carbon concrete

Tarmac has demonstrated and tested an innovative new low carbon concrete solution with Align, the joint venture delivering the Central 1 (C1) section of HS2 Phase One. The new low carbon concrete has a carbon footprint following industry…

Arcadis to support UK government’s energy transition

Arcadis has been appointed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to help identify key areas for district heating development, maximizing value for money for the UK taxpayer. The project covers 28 towns and…

Pledge To Net Zero passes 150 signatories landmark

Pledge To Net Zero, the initiative tackling carbon emissions within the UK’s environmental sector, has now passed the landmark figure of 150 signatories. The Pledge has gained 57 signatories since May 2021, including the recent addition…

EQT Infrastructure to acquire InstaVolt

EQT Infrastructure has agreed to acquire independent rapid EV charging operator InstaVolt from Zouk Capital. The company says it will invest significantly to accelerate InstaVolt’s expansion of charge points across the UK, and reach a…

BP’s $ 7.6 bn profit renews calls for windfall tax

BP has followed its hydrocarbon sister Shell in announcing record sky-high profits, renewing politicians’ calls for a reluctant chancellor to impose windfall tax benefitting consumers soon to face rocketing energy bills. The oil giant…

Written evidence submitted by Supergen Climate Adaptation Working Group

The Supergen Climate Adaptation Working Group (WG) is one of three WGs that have been established to support the Supergen Energy Network Hub’s objective of understanding, shaping and challenging the dramatic changes taking place in energy…

Green Infrastructure Week announces live keynote webinar programme

Green Infrastructure Week highlights the British technologies that will be used to deliver the biggest gains in our global transition to net zero. We deliver insight and commentary for the whole ecosystem of people and organisations involved…

Kier to deliver Redcar onshore converter station

Kier has been appointed by General Electric (GE) to deliver the onshore converter station in Redcar for RWE’s £3bn Sofia Offshore Wind Farm, located on Dogger Bank in the central North Sea.   The onshore converter will be located…

Jacobs secures RWE green hydrogen feasibility contract

Jacobs has been awarded a feasibility study contract from renewable energy company RWE to investigate the production and supply of green hydrogen in South Wales. The four-month study will look at the feasibility of initially installing a…

Network Rail outlines future climate change challenges

A Network Rail report outlining the risks to Britain’s railway posed by climate change and the measures required to improve resilience has been published this morning (28/1/22) in partnership with the Department for Environment, Food and…

Laing O’Rourke to replace diesel with vegetable oil in all its plant

Laing O’Rourke is to replace red diesel with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in all its plant equipment before the end of March. The decision follows the successful completion of tests over the last six months by its specialist plant businesses…

Fusion energy record demonstrates powerplant future

Record results announced today are the clearest demonstration worldwide of the potential for fusion energy to deliver safe and sustainable low-carbon energy. Researchers from the EUROfusion consortium – 4,800 experts, students and staff…

Maxine Frerk to Chair new Energy Networks Association stakeholder engagement group

Energy Networks Association’s (ENA) Open Networks programme has launched a new independently chaired stakeholder engagement group chaired by former Ofgem executive and regulation expert Maxine Frerk. The new group, titled a Challenge Group,…

Roads reimagined with people and planet in mind

The Irish government is investing €1.8 billion in cleaner, greener transport in 2022, part of its drive to halve transport carbon emissions by 2030. But so far, the debate on resource allocation and planning has pitted investment in public…

Call for transport leaders to help ‘super-charge’ skills and build future workforce

Consultation launched to better understand the skills needed to boost diversity, plug the skills gap and promote careers in the transport sector. The government today (7 February 2022) is calling for industry leaders and the wider public…

New reforms to renewable energy scheme to boost supply chains

Consultation launched over changes to Contracts for Difference scheme to make supply chains more competitive, productive and efficient. The UK government has today (Friday 4 February) launched a consultation seeking views from industry on…

ESG and social value – two sides of the same coin?

While ESG and social value have important differences, forward-thinking organisations are acknowledging how they complement one another, says Thrive’s Neil Macdonald. In barely 20 years, environmental, social, and governance (ESG)…

SNC-Lavalin launches Decarbonomics to accelerate journey to net zero

SNC-Lavalin has launched Decarbonomics, a data-driven solution to decarbonise the built environment in a cost-effective way and accelerate the global journey to net zero.  The Decarbonomics initiative builds on SNC-Lavalin’s methods…

AECOM develops new carbon tool with Environment Agency

AECOM has developed a new carbon and cost tool with the Environment Agency that will be rolled out across all Environment Agency construction projects to help the organisation meet its 2030 net zero ambitions.  Producing integrated…

Government backs Britishvolt plans for Blyth gigafactory to build electric vehicle batteries

Britishvolt, the UK battery company, has received an in principle offer of government funding through the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) for its planned gigafactory in Blyth, Northumberland. Once complete, the factory will produce…

Watch iconic fusion energy machine’s 100,000th ‘pulse’

Iconic fusion energy machine JET – which reaches controlled temperatures 10 times hotter than the core of the sun – completed its 100,000th live pulse last night. Weighing 2,800 tonnes, the same as three blue whales, the Joint European…

Delivering the ‘Gold Standard’ for construction

The government has announced the results of its review of public sector construction frameworks. Guto Davies explores the findings of the recently published Mosely Review.  The Cabinet Office has published Professor…

SNC-Lavalin strengthens UK nuclear links

SNC-Lavalin has been awarded three new contracts by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to continue work on Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP), a flagship programme to design and build a commercial-scale fusion energy plant.  Under…

Waitrose to take wireless charged e-Vans for a spin in London

Waitrose is to become the first supermarket in the UK to trial a new generation of electric vehicles. Following a significant investment, groceries from Waitrose’s St Katherine’s Dock store will be delivered to customers entirely by…

London to host 2023 Ecocity World Summit

London has won a bid to host the biennial Ecocity World Summit in June 2023. First held in 1990, Ecocity World Summit is described as the pioneer global conference on sustainable cities. Every two years it brings together urban stakeholders…

Energy Networks Association launches ‘Next for Net Zero’ incubator programme

Energy Networks Association (ENA) has launched an ‘incubator’ series which will showcase the emerging technologies needed to address the decarbonisation of heat, transport and industry and drive the UK to Net Zero. The Next for Net Zero…

Floating turbines win big among ScotWind’s awards totalling 24.8GW

Scotland’s government is looking forward to pocketing bidding fees of around £680 million from ScotWind, the nation’s first round of offshore plot leasing for a decade, and its first since control of awards were devolved to Holyrood. Scotland’s…

Barnet to install 500 EV charge points by November 2022

Barnet Council is to spend £4.65m installing 500 electric vehicle charge points by November 2022 after securing government funding. The £3.5m grant from the On-Street Residential Charge Point Scheme (ORCS) is the largest sum awarded to…

Nissan to install new solar farm in Sunderland

Nissan has been given the go ahead to install an additional 20MW solar farm at its UK plant, the next milestone on its journey to carbon neutrality. The new 20MW installation, for which planning permission has now been granted, will double…

At 360 MW, Teesside primed to host Europe’s biggest battery

The North-east industrial cluster of Teesside is set to be the location for a planned 360 MW battery storage system, billed as Europe's largest. Sembcorp Energy yesterday revealed it wants to locate the device on land it owns in the 2,000…

Costain enters three-year charging partnership with Elmtronics

Costain has entered a three-year charging partnership with Elmtronics to help it switch its 3,000-strong fleet in the UK to EVs. The partnership has already led to 12 charge points being installed at the infrastructure specialist’s head…

Britain’s energy networks announce ambitious plans for 2022 as efforts to enable Net Zero are ramped up

Strong progress was made in 2021, however there is much more to do and 2022 will be another important year as collaboration, flexibility and the drive for decarbonisation remain a priority. Britain’s energy networks have announced ambitious…

Britain’s gas grid to be ready to deliver hydrogen across the country from 2023, energy networks announce

Britain’s gas grid is set to be ready to start to blending hydrogen around the country from next year, helping provide families with more secure, homegrown energy supplies, new plans published by energy network companies announce today. Energy…

Fleet of foot: how forward-looking organisations are leading the switch to EVs

OPINION | As the transition to electric vehicles reaches a tipping point, barriers to mass-transit electrification remain. Andrew Bui, AECOM’s global transportation electrification lead, and Ben Prochazka, director of the Electrification…

“Biomethane plays a meaningful role in the UK’s decarbonisation and levelling-up agenda” says Lord Callanan at anaerobic digestion conference

Lord Callanan opened the 2021 Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) National Conference on 14 December 2021 with a clear message about the value of biomethane in helping the UK to meet its Net Zero targets and fulfil its ambition…

As focus moves to UK’s charging infrastructure, EV Energy Taskforce signposts route to delivery of overall system success

With road transport’s electric revolution gathering pace, the groundbreaking, Government-backed Electric Vehicle (EV) Energy Taskforce has published four new reports covering key elements of the electric transition in road transport, defining…

Let’s have a New year revolution in tidal energy

Post-COP 26, there is increased interest in tidal energy and, according to Stuart Murphy, the resource is the only way that the UK can guarantee 100% green base-load electricity in the future and overcome the intermittency issues associated…

Transport for the North launches first regional transport decarbonisation strategy

A transport decarbonisation strategy for the north of England - outlining the ambitious target of near-zero carbon emissions from surface transport by 2045 – has been launched by Transport for the North (TfN). TfN say this is the first…

A regional approach to decarbonisation that can lead the world

The race is on for Wales to take control of its decarbonisation and to potentially lead the world in industrial transformation, say Costain’s David Jukes, Sarah Bowles and Hywel Woolf. The South Wales Industrial Cluster…

UK’s largest offshore wind tower manufacturing facility to be built in Scotland

Global Energy Group (GEG), the Scottish headquartered energy services company, has agreed terms with offshore wind tower manufacturing specialist Haizea Wind Group to build a £110m-plus state-of-the-art offshore wind tubular rolling facility…

COP26: What does it all mean for construction?

Built environment emissions were often in the spotlight at the recent COP26 conference in Glasgow. Below, Neil Macdonald looks at some of the agreements that came out of COP and what it all means for businesses in and around the construction…

Energy Minister Greg Hands’ views on nuclear capacity and net zero ambition.

Speech by Greg Hands MP at the NIA annual conference (December 2) 2021. During my many years as Trade Minister, I was a champion for investment in nuclear. So, I was delighted to take on responsibility for the sector when I was appointed…

COP26 must launch reinvigorated UK effort on climate change, says CCC

The success of the COP26 climate conference will only be assessed by the actions that follow over the coming year and beyond, says the Climate Change Committee. Following the Glasgow event, there is now a path to expected global warming…

Wales economy needs to ‘green up’ to meet net zero challenge

The traditional annual event for consultancy and engineering firms in Wales focused on value based delivery and building a viable green economy, reports ACE Wales manager, Simon Shouler. Covid-19 uncertainty meant that ACE Wales held…

Carbon Gap calls on European policymakers to lead the way on carbon removal

Independent research and advocacy not-for-profit, Carbon Gap, is calling on UK and European governments to lead on supporting and scaling up techniques to remove carbon directly from the air (referred to as carbon removal), alongside immediate…

Universal method to report carbon in buildings and infrastructure launched

An international coalition of construction experts has published the world’s first universal standard for reporting carbon dioxide emissions used in the building and lifecycle of structures – also known as ‘embodied and operational carbon’…

Establishing major projects industry can drive net zero and levelling up success

Strengthening the role of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) to improve major project delivery can help the government’s net zero and levelling up agendas, according to a new report from the CBI and Turner & Townsend.  Programmes…

Speedster SSE accelerates Net Zero programme, commits £12.5 billion by 2026

Generator-retailer SSE pressed its pedal heavily to the environmental metal today, committing £12.5 billion from identified resources by 2026, on the way to attaining a science-based Net Zero by 2030. The firm presented its far-reaching…

World’s most powerful turbines could power Vattenfall’s 3.6GW farms in North Sea

With rotors a massive 236 metres in diameter, the world’s biggest wind turbines could be generating power off Norfolk from 2024, if Vattenfall gets the nod in the UK’s government’s upcoming Fourth Allocation Round. Megastructure builders…

The Green Grids Initiative – the biggest global coalition for clean energy

A new high-level coalition for clean energy – The Green Grids Initiative, was announced at the Glasgow climate summit. It will bring together a group of governments, legislators and international organisations, business leaders, researchers…

Government’s lack of clarity means new green jobs missed, MPs say

The Johnson administration's failure to define what a green job is, plus Britain's widening skills gap, leave the nation's worksforce falling short in benefitting from the economy's low carbon transition, a Conservative-majority Parliamentary…

Research shows business case for circular buildings

A new report that articulates the business case of pursuing circularity in the built environment has just been published by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and Ramboll. Given that the construction industry is responsible…

Only a fifth of large consultancy clients ask for net zero designs, ACE study reveals

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has shared new figures revealing that while consultancies are making good progress towards unlocking a net zero future, client demand remains patchy, with only around a fifth (19%) of large…

NIC pinpoints strategic gaps in infrastructure planning

The National Infrastructure Commission has announced the topics that will sit at the heart of its next major assessment of the UK’s long term infrastructure priorities, to be published in 2023, following analysis of the current performance…

Public say net zero is a priority for infrastructure, new survey reveals

A new industry report has found that net zero is a priority for infrastructure projects, but local issues are the top concern for the public. The findings are included in the latest report on public attitudes to net zero and infrastructure…

UK funding to support developing cities and regions transition to net zero by 2050

The UK government has launched the new Urban Climate Action programme (UCAP) to support the cities and regions in developing countries most impacted by climate change to accelerate their transition to net zero. Backed with £27.5 million…

Rolls-Royce gets £210m government backing for small nuclear technology

Each small modular reactor could be capable of powering 1 million homes - equivalent to a city the size of Leeds. Next steps in developing the design for one of the world’s first small modular reactors (SMR) has been backed by £210 million…

US-UK Strategic Energy Dialogue launch: partnering to accelerate global clean energy transition at COP26

The US-UK Strategic Energy Dialogue will deepen collaboration in areas such as clean energy technologies, industrial decarbonisation and nuclear energy. UK Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng met with US Secretary of Energy Jennifer…

End of coal in sight as UK secures ambitious commitments at COP26 summit

The end of coal – the single biggest contributor to climate change – is in sight thanks to the UK securing a 190-strong coalition of countries and organisations at COP26. Commitments, brought together through UK-led efforts including…

UK and India launch new clean grids initiative for the world

Boris Johnson and Indian PM Narendra Modi jointly launched a new flagship international initiative at the COP26 World Leaders Summit, backed by over 80 countries, to dramatically accelerate the global transition to a clean powered world. Jointly…

President Biden and Boris Johnson announce commitment to addressing climate crisis through infrastructure development

U.S. President Biden, European Commission President von der Leyen and PM Boris Johnson have announced commitment to addressing climate crisis through infrastructure development. Building on the June 2021 commitment of G7 Leaders to launch…

Extra funding to create jobs, expand woodlands and protect trees

Applications for new £6m fund start from 3 November 2021, with environmental charities, not-for-profits, local authorities and protected landscape bodies encouraged to apply Action to get more trees in the ground, create more jobs and improve…

Welsh and Scots cities benefit from green marine power, green H2 and green mobility

Three cities outside England may reap rewards from major green developments, under proposals announced coincidentally in recent days. Blue Eden is Swansea's latest £1.7 billion incarnation of its controversial tidal lagooon, this time…

EV charging investment inadequate

The boss of one of Britain’s biggest car leasing businesses has dismissed the government’s planned investment in EV charging infrastructure as “inadequate”. Andy Alderson (pictured), founder and CEO of online leasing firm Vanarama,…

Renewable hydrogen offers best route out of future energy supply crunches, research shows

Renewable hydrogen produced by Britain’s world-leading fleet of wind farms and stored in disused oil and gas fields can help avoid future winter energy supply crunches, new research published by Energy Networks Association (ENA) says today. ‘A…

Net Zero roadmap for 5000 UK buses

UK Power Networks Services has completed a study for the passenger transport company Go-Ahead Group to transition its fleet of 5,000 buses to zero-emissions technology. Go-Ahead Group, a transport provider of bus and rail services, is looking…

Shell signs big for solar with Island Green Power & Clearstone

Self-detoxifying fossil supermajor Shell has confirmed an understanding with solar developers Island Green Power and Clearstone Energy to pursue up to 800MW of PV farms across the UK. Island Green Power provides the bulk of new capacity,…

ABB unveils 360kW EV charger

ABB has launched a new EV charger which it says is capable of fully charging any electric car in 15 minutes or less. The Terra 360, which has a maximum output of 360kW, is a modular charger which can simultaneously charge up to four vehicles. It…

Prometheus unbound: Army musters first solar farm, thanks to Centrica

Energy giant Centrica has completed the British Army’s first solar PV farm, a 2.3MWp installation powering the Defence School of Transport at Leconfield, north of Hull, with up to 2.3GWh per year. Arrays incorporating over 4,000 modules…

Aberdeen University votes to divest fossil fuels

A university famed for its expertise in assisting Britain’s production of fossil fuels voted this week to sell all its investments in the sector.  The governing body of Aberdeen University, since the 1960s at the hub of European offshore…

Conrad Energy signs 104MWh battery energy storage order with GE Renewable Energy

Conrad Energy, the UK’s largest flexible power producer, and GE Renewable Energy are delighted to announce the signing of a major framework agreement for the design, manufacture, and supply of GE’s battery energy storage system in the UK.…

Morocco unbound: £16 billion green power pipe mooted to Devon giga-battery

British energy entrepreneurs Xlinks have unveiled ambitious plans to link solar and wind power generated in the Moroccan desert with UK power consumers via four subsea HVDC cables 3,800 km long. Founded by former McKinsey consultant Simon…

Nuke plants big and small ‘earmarked for Wales’

The Government is considering Wales as a home for mini nuclear reactors and one giant one in an attempt to prevent further energy crises. Rolls-Royce could be in line for extra support for its small modular reactors rated up to 440MW, as…

Updated climate commitments ahead of COP26 summit fall far short, but net-zero pledges provide hope

New and updated climate commitments fall far short of what is needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, leaving the world on track for a global temperature rise of at least 2.7°C this century, according to the UN Environment Programme’s…

New digital energy system map shows the power & potential of energy digitalisation

Britain’s electricity and gas networks have launched a new National Energy Systems Map (NESM), a proof-of-concept project that could help pave the way for a smarter, Net Zero, energy system. As the system becomes more decentralised, decarbonised…

Is hydrogen the lightweight champion?

Technologies and innovations will help drive the country to net zero. One of these is hydrogen, says Sam Cranston. Perhaps the most underrated tool in our collective arsenal towards net zero, is hydrogen. Research from Copper Consultancy’s…

Partnering for action on climate change

Working together and sharing learning on tried and tested solutions can help businesses as they strive to tackle climate change, says Zoe Haseman of Jacobs.  In 2021, the world’s attention has shifted toward the global drive…

Derbyshire site for BayWa r.e.’s Oaklands 163 MWp solar mega-farm

International solar developer BayWa r.e. plans to light up south Derbyshire with one of Britain’s biggest solar PV farms yet built. Rated at 163MW peak capacity, the intended park divided between two plots near south Derbyshire’s villages…

World’s first recyclable blades help Siemens-Gamesa cut through to circular economy

The world’s first eighty-metre recyclable blades are in the wind, following a de-sticking solution devised by engineers at turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa. Heligoland, off Germany’s coast, is the testing site identified for the German-Spanish…

‘End in sight’ for coal power, as Paris accord axes 3 of 4 of globe’s planned smokies

Signing the 2015 Paris climate accord has led to the world’s pipeline of planned coal-fired power plants being slashed by as much as 76%, expert analysis out today indicates. ‘No new coal’ declarations already made by 44 nations, with…

Would you Adam’n’Eve it? East London to get Britain’s ‘biggest’ heat network

Four boroughs straddling the Thames in London’s East End are set to benefit from a district heat network of up to 500,000 homes by the 2040s, claimed as Britain’s largest. First steps in construction are scheduled to start early next…

Green gas primes jobs bonanza, Energy Networks Association promises

Hydrogen projects now on or approaching Britain’s drawing boards could create at least 17,000 high-tech jobs in the nation’s industrial heartlands, research published this week by Energy Networks Association (ENA) reveals. Before 2031,…

Breakthrough trains powered by community-owned solar await planners’ green signal

A world-leading initiative to power scheduled rail services from carbon-free electricity sold by a solar co-operative in a Sussex beauty spot faces a crunch deadline this Thursday. Activist volunteers and investors in Cuckmere Community…

Bamford heir digs green hydrogen, seeks funds to backhoe projects

HyCap is a new investment fund, seeking returns from green hydrogen projects. Founder Jo Bamford, pioneer already of the green gas’s specialist Ryze Hydrogen, launched the fund this week, as a joint venture with his six-year incorporated…

Ofgem pours £450 million into innovation pot for greener power tech

Britain’s energy regulator today announces grants from a new £450 million fund to spur green innovation towards Net Zero in clean heat, power system integration, energy storage and e-mobility. Transforming the nation by 2026 into the…

Shipping giant Maersk plots course to e-methanol, stands by to drop diesel

Marine operator AP Moller Maersk has advanced plans to strip carbon out of its globe-spanning freighters, placing orders this week for up to twelve container ships powered by e-methanol.  The innovative fuel variant is derived from…

Government masses £4 million in grants to cut biomass emissions

Under-measured CO2 emissions and the risk of landscapes degraded by feedstock crops have come into focus in a government drive to promote climate-safe biomass.  Innovations such as extracting heat from whisky mash and cultivating combustible…

Blue hydrogen ‘could be 20% more planet warming’ than natural gas; US scientists

‘Blue’ hydrogen reformed from methane could be up to 20% more damaging to the environment over its life cycle than the ‘natural’ gas on which it is based, a new academic report suggests. Current capture rates of carbon at reforming…

UK’s first blended hydrogen trial heats Gateshead community

Winlaton, near Gateshead, has become Britain’s first neighbourhood to gather data on how the conventional public gas network can tolerate up to 20% of hydrogen in daily supplies. Part-funded with £22.4 million from Ofgem’s Network Innovation…

Climate change widespread, rapid, and intensifying – IPCC

Scientists are observing changes in the Earth’s climate in every region and across the whole climate system, according to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report, released today. According to the IPCC Working…

Conservatives “oversaw 75,000 green jobs destroyed” in five years, Starmer claims

The Cameron, May and Johnson governments have overseen the loss of over 75,000 jobs in the green economy since 2014, Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer has claimed, citing official figures from the Office for National Statistics. Starmer said…

BP goes big on hydrocarbon-sourced hydrogen from Teesside

Oil major-in-transition BP says industrial purchasers of ‘blue’ hydrogen – electrolysed from fossil fuel gas – are queuing up to buy from its intended cracker plant in Teesside’s giant new freeport. The leviathan this week named…

Cromarty Firth tops ScottishPower’s spots to house 35MW green hydrogen hub

The Cromarty Firth, north of Inverness, has emerged as lead candidate for ScottishPower’s biggest hydrogen complex yet, heating Highland distilleries and stripping carbon from homes’ and firms’ heat.  A new site study adopted…

Curb ‘green protectionism’, Brexit-linked trade group urges minister Truss

A Brexit chill blew yesterday through ‘global Britain’s international trade policy on clean energy, as a little known collection of senior advisors urged trade minister Liz Truss to view national mechanisms supporting clean power and decarbonisation…

The Clarison Group joins CLC’s CO2nstructZero Business Champions

The Clarison Group is joining Business Champions from a wide spectrum of UK businesses that have stepped up to drive carbon out of the construction industry. Today the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) confirmed the third wave of 14…

University of Nottingham Spin-out Redesigning transport infrastructure to drive decarbonisation

Redesigning transport infrastructure to drive decarbonisation The electricity systems we have developed over the last century are now facing urgent need for redesign. The threat of climate change, an increasing share of intermittent renewable…

Cross-border CO2 taxes, an ETS for transport & buildings, more megawatts, more renewables: EU details massive “55% off by 2030” decarb drive

“The fossil fuel economy has reached its limits”, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen declared this week, as she unveiled cross-border carbon taxes, higher targets for clean power, a hydrogen blitz and accelerated efficiency drives,…

Carbon capture, use and… continued employment for carbon-intensive workers

As many as 50,000 new jobs could be created this decade in carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS), the sector’s trade body has claimed, provided that government enacts enabling policies. The calculation comes in a report from the Carbon…

Detail-averse Johnson defends his Net Zero progress to MPs

Britain’s Prime Minister was long on boosterism but predictably short on numbers about his Net Zero policies, as he faced questions this week from the chairs of Parliament’s powerful back bench committees.  Industrialists, investors,…

Government publishes world’s first ‘greenprint’ to decarbonise all modes of domestic transport by 2050

Transport decarbonisation plan for cleaner air, healthier communities and tens of thousands of new green jobs. Cleaner air, healthier communities and tens of thousands of new green jobs are set to become reality thanks to the UK’s revolutionary…

Expert report: every UK job has the potential to be green

Independent Green Jobs Taskforce issues call to action on how the UK can deliver a green industrial revolution with government, business and the education sector working together. Every UK job has the potential to be green, according to…

Towards Carbon Neutral

Our world needs to deliver upon urgent climate change commitments and circular economy. The Energy Transition is key. As society shifts towards sustainable energy and as industries rapidly convert to electrification, one thing is clear: electricity…

In pursuit of net zero: new forum to unlock co-location opportunities for CCUS and offshore wind

The Crown Estate has announced the formation of the Offshore Wind and CCUS Co-location Forum which will identify the key challenges and opportunities associated with the co-location of Offshore Wind and Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS)…

New report highlights the economic benefits of scaling up CCUS in the 2020s, and the required funding to deliver this.

The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) has today published a report written by international engineering consultancy Afry and Cambridge Econometrics on the economic impact of scaling up CCUS in the 2020s. It also looks at the funding…

Slashing red tape on the road to Net Zero

Energy Networks Association has announced a new, streamlined connections process making it easier for electric vehicles (EVs) and heat pumps to be connected to the electricity networks. Slashing emissions from transport and heating are key…

600,000-plus new UK jobs in green energy ‘to make up for 90% jobs destroyed by Covid’

Britain’s boom in low-carbon energy and green infrastructure is on course to create 625,000 jobs, equivalent to 90% of the pandemic’s toll on employment, consultants EY Parthenon believe. Philanthropists at the European Climate Foundation…

Green-hued H2 for choo-choos, as Getech inks memo with lococo Eversholt

Trains powered by green hydrogen instead of diesel could be rolling down Britain’s tracks, if an understanding sealed yesterday bears fruit. Locomotive and rolling stock operator Eversholt Rail and clean tech company Getech Group told…

Fuels, in love – Shell and Rolls Royce smooch to de-carb avgas for big jets

Lower carbon flights in big commercial jets moved a step closer to reality today, as Shell and Rolls Royce inked a memo, committing both to co-developing SAFs, or sustainable aviation fuels. Two months ago, engine builder Rolls-Royce launched…

UK coal-fired power to end in October 2024, as Britain pre-schmoozes CoP26

Britain today (1st July 2021) advanced by twelve months to 1 October 2024 its deadline for phasing out unabated coal used in power generation.  Prime Minister Johnson had flagged the intention in February 2020.  Energy minister…

Plastics-to-hydrogen pioneer Powerhouse eyes ‘up to 70 UK sites’

Ellesmere Port-based plastic-to-clean hydrogen converter Powerhouse Energy Group has posted financial results for the year to December 2020. Chaired by former MP Tim Yeo, the innovator sees Protos Park, its Cheshire HQ, as the springboard…

Climate targets need implementation of large-scale negative emissions solutions by 2025

Global action to deliver negative emissions technologies is falling far short of what is required to address the climate crisis warns a new study by the newly formed Coalition for Negative Emissions. The Coalition research, conducted with…

Thames Water makes big splash for Net Zero by 2030

Nine years after plotting its first steps towards carbon neutrality, Britain’s biggest water utility today sets out its final plan to scoring Net Zero for all its operations this decade. Thames Water, now with 15 million customers, reckons…

Hydrogen promotion contest to spread £60 million

Beis has earmarked up to £60 million for a competition spurring innovation steps in clean hydrogen’s production and storage, and its uses in transport.  Entries opened last week (21st June 2021). The ministry’s Net Zero Innovation…

Biogas and AD ‘can create 60k jobs this decade’

Anaerobic digestion of agricultural slurry can puff up Britain’s greening energy jobs market, while pumping 6% out of the nation’s carbon bubble by 2030, a trade body has claimed. AD on its own can make up 30% of the gap between the…

End to coal power brought forward to October 2024

The deadline to phase out coal from Great Britain's energy system has been brought forward by a whole year, highlighting the UK’s leadership to go further in driving down emissions and tackling climate change. From 1 October 2024 Great…

“Waffle less, specify more, Prime Minister”: Climate Change Committee skewers Johnson

Britain’s top body of climate science advisors have lent their voice to the deafening chorus of investors, industry practitioners, scientists, and activists, accusing the Johnson government of, in effect, “voter greenwash” in its climate…

Drax begins planning process to expand its ‘hollow mountain’ Cruachan power station

Drax Group is starting the planning process to build a new underground pumped hydro storage power station – more than doubling the electricity generating capacity at its Cruachan facility in Scotland. The project, announced as the…

Fischer, and chips: Pure fuel firm Velocys powers world’s first commercial flight with gasified wood

Oxford innovators Velocys are today celebrating success for their wood-chip-to-jet-juice sustainable aviation fuel, burned last week on the world’s first commercial flight thus powered and with paying customers. An Airbus A350, one…

“Biomethane the key option to decarbonise heavy vehicles immediately” says trade body in new publication

Biomethane: Fuelling a Transport Revolution reviews how the anaerobic digestion and biogas industry can help decarbonise heavier modes of transport, such as trucks and buses, much sooner than electricity or hydrogen.The Policy Briefing report…

Willmott Dixon to install EV charging points

Construction firm Willmott Dixon is to install EV charge points at all its sites and offices across England and Wales. The company is working with EV charging specialist Rolec to roll out the chargers at more than 100 locations during 2021…

EDF leading the way to support new renewable assets to help Britain achieve Net Zero

Britain can’t achieve Net Zero without supporting the development of the renewable sector. That’s why EDF are investing in new renewable assets as well as working with independent generators to help build the future capacity we need to…

Britain’s interconnector links are ‘Europe’s most expensive’, say consultants

Porting utility volumes of power to or from the UK incurs fees which now stand as the highest in Europe, according to consultants  EnAppSys. The analysts found €19.42/MWh, the continent’s highest price, was the standard for exports…

“Decarb everything by 2050”, urge G7 chiefs. But Kernow’d they have done better?

Stripping the planet’s energy systems and economies of carbon received arguably more heat than light as a priority from heads of the world’s richest economies under three days of Cornish sunshine. Pledges in the G7’s concluding communiqué…

Supporting British infrastructure on the way to Net Zero

At EDF our aim is to help Britain achieve Net Zero by helping businesses achieve Net Zero. The Port of Tilbury is the largest multimodal port in the South East and third largest port in the UK who do more than simply manage cargo passing…

UK’s power backbone will run carbon-clean “for periods” by 2025, National Grid hints

Carbon-free operation of Britain’s power backbone for ‘periods at a time’ can happen as early as 2025, National Grid ESO has indicated. A decade later comes the Grid’s deadline for sustained, exclusively fossil-free operation. …

Drax and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries sign negative emissions project deal

Drax Group and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, have agreed a long-term contract for Drax to use its carbon capture technology, the Advanced KM CDR process, in what would be the largest…

Powerhouse cops Glasgow docks for second plastics-to-hydrogen plant

The clean hydrogen love affair between waste plastic recyclers Powerhouse Energy and landlords Peel NRE has deepened, with the duo’s announcement of a location near Glasgow’s CoP26 venue for their second plastics-to-hydrogen processing…

‘Blow harder for Net Zero and deliver 108GW wind by 2035’, Imperial tells Johnson

The Conservatives’ aspiration to deliver 40GW of offshore turbines by the end of the decade lacks puff in its intended decarbonisation of the UK grid, Imperial College engineers tell prime minister Johnson today (Tues 8th June). Britain…

Heathrow pilots – plus refuelling crews – pilot UK’s first sustainable jet fuel pilot

Britain’s busiest airport has announced an experiment to refuel jets with 100% renewable fuel, now successfully pumped through its distribution network. Supplied by oil trader Vitol’s aviation arm in co-operation with Finnish refiners…

UK climbs to 4th in league of world’s hottest RE investment spots

Consultancy EY today ranks Britain at fourth place among nations in its influential yearly Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index, a rise of one place on 2020. The government’s new commitment to cutting emissions by 78% on 1990…

Energy industry unites and calls on government to build back greener ahead of COP26

With the eyes of the world on Glasgow at COP26 in November, the UK’s energy industry has united in a call for government to seize the opportunity to deliver a green economic recovery and boost Britain’s global reputation as a superpower…

Hydrogen may offer a $2.5 trillion investment opportunity – report identifies companies set to benefit

Overall, the hydrogen revolution may provide a $2.5 trillion investment opportunity through to 2050 for utilities, equipment makers and others seeking to curb emission intensity according to a new report from Bloomberg Intelligence (BI). Annual…

Wind, solar & nuke to Johnson: “Speed up, towards identified, ambitious generation goals”

Lobbyists for the UK’s low-carbon power makers have come together to voice their frustration at the Johnson government’s supposed vagueness over Britain’s energy future. In December BEIS published its Energy White paper, its 170 pages…

Connected Kerb project delivers EV charging to out-of-town communities

Connected Kerb has entered a partnership with Kent County Council to deliver EV chargers to out-of-town communities across the county. In the project’s first phase, Connected Kerb will install 40 charging units across 20 sites around Kent…

HSSMI: More gigafactories urgently needed in UK

The UK must rapidly accelerate the establishment of Gigafactories and new battery technology development, or risk losing domestic car production altogether, according to a report by HSSMI, an expert manufacturing consultancy. HSSMI says…

The future is here: IEA’s “new normal” means 90% of post-Covid power investment will be in renewables

Further confirmation – if confirmation were needed – that this planet energy’s future is both green and low-carbon, comes today from the world’s power authority the International Energy Agency. As much as 90% of future investment…

Johnson must commit to 30GW of onshore wind, floating wind, ship power & ‘rainbow’ hydrogen by 2030, RenewableUK urges

Wind power advocates RenewableUK today urge the Johnson government to commit to specific deployment targets for onshore wind, offshore floating wind, renewable hydrogen, and marine energy, in the run-up to the United Nations’ climate change…

8MWh from a 50-tonne drop? Weighty matters for storage innovators Gravitricity

Scotland’s gravity battery pioneers Gravitricity believe the recent grid connection of their pilot plant in Edinburgh’s port will give a new meaning to the words ‘power drop’. Sunshine will not be needed on Leith, the energy innovators…

Moto plans ultra-rapid EV chargers at all UK sites

Motorway service station operator Moto has announced plans to install ultra-rapid EV chargers at all its UK sites. The first stage of the initiative is an installation of 12 Tesla and 12 Electric Highway 350kW DC chargers at the newly opened…

Clean hydrogen on the move: Getech’s H2 Green pumps up the volume

Hydrogen-as-motor-fuel producer H2 Green is set to expand deployment in Scotland and northern England. H2 Green is part of analytics and infrastructure operator Getech Group.  The parent has announced a deal with Element Two, a developer…

Abundance launches green investment to help build Greater Manchester’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure

Abundance Investment, a UK ethical investment crowdfunding platform, has launched an offer to fund the roll out of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure throughout the Greater Manchester area, with Iduna Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure. Iduna…

Policy

Policy

Shapps sets out plans to drive multi billion pound investment in energy revolution

Ambitious plans to scale up affordable, clean, homegrown power and build thriving green industries in Britain have been unveiled by the government today (Thursday 30 March) - boosting the country’s energy security and independence and reducing…

Stakeholders respond to the government’s Energy Security Plan

Stakeholders response to the government's Energy Security Plan, announced by the Energy Security Secretary on Thursday 30 March. Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association (pictured above), said: Great British Nuclear…

Transport decarbonisation package to help boost net zero ambitions

A robust package of measures to turbocharge the UK’s progress towards decarbonising transport, has today (30 March 2023) been unveiled by the government. The measures will support the shift to electric vehicles (EVs), as well as the…

UK confirms £205 million budget to power more of Britain from Britain

Britain’s rollout of clean, affordable, home-grown energy is moving full speed ahead, with the UK government offering £205 million in its latest renewables auction, boosting energy security, growing our economy and powering more of Britain…

Thousands of trees to be planted in communities in boost to nature, health and wellbeing

Hundreds of thousands of trees will be planted in communities across England after two major funding schemes reopened for applications today. Over £14m will be allocated to successful applicants across both funds, which will support tree…

New UK certification to boost British hydrogen sector

Transparency and confidence in the UK’s low carbon hydrogen sector are set to increase on the world stage as the government today outlines plans for a globally recognised low carbon hydrogen certification scheme. There is currently no…

UK takes major STEP towards near limitless, low-carbon energy

A future of abundant low-carbon energy without the need for fossil fuels could be in sight after Science Minister George Freeman today (Monday 6 February) announced the creation of a new delivery body for the UK’s fusion programme, named…

Reforms outlined for Britain’s capacity market to secure a clean energy future

Improved energy security and a more secure transition to net zero are set to be delivered through the UK government’s significant proposals to reform Great Britain’s Capacity Market (CM). The Capacity Market is the scheme that sits at…

Ministers bolster UK nuclear fuel capacity to squeeze out Russian influence 

Nuclear fuel production in the UK is set to be bolstered by up to £75 million in UK government funding in a bid to support development of alternatives to Russian fuel supply and strengthen UK energy security, the Energy and Climate Minister…

First Green Heat Network Fund awards for cutting-edge low carbon energy projects

More than £30 million of funding will benefit homes and businesses in three communities to deliver low carbon heat and help consumers move away from costly fossil fuels as part of the government’s push to cut emissions. Projects in Hull…

UK signs agreement on offshore renewable energy cooperation

The UK Minister for Energy and Climate Graham Stuart has today (18 December) signed a landmark agreement on renewable energy cooperation with EU and North Seas countries. The Memorandum of Understanding with the North Seas Energy Cooperation…

£102 million government backing for nuclear and hydrogen innovation in the UK

The UK government is today (13 December 2022) announcing new funding to support clean energy production in the UK, following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent impact on global energy prices. Today’s funding includes…

UK government takes major steps forward to secure Britain’s energy independence

Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps today (29th November) launches a landmark package to invest now to help secure Britain’s energy independence. Today the government is driving forward plans to build a secure energy future, creating…

Energy storage backed with over £32 million government funding

Over £32 million government funding has been awarded to UK projects developing cutting-edge innovative energy storage technologies that can help increase the resilience of the UK’s electricity grid while also maximising value for money. Five…

Government launches £1.5 million AI programme for reducing carbon emissions

Today (Tuesday 22 November) the government has launched a new innovation programme which will support the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions. The AI for Decarbonisation Programme, backed by £1.5 million…

Call for government to “get a grip” on climate change impacts

A Committee of senior MPs and peers has implored the Government to get a proper grip on the major national security risks posed by the effects of climate change on critical national infrastructure (CNI), such as power, water, transport and…

Record funding uplift for UK battery research and development

The UK’s world-leading manufacturing industries will be boosted thanks to £211 million in new government funding for battery research and innovation, Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg confirmed today (Friday 21 October). The record funding…

Tees Valley Hydrogen Hub boosted by £20 million competition

Tees Valley will host a competition to discover how hydrogen can be used for a cleaner and more efficient transport sector. Tees Valley will host a new £20 million competition, where successful bidders will push the boundaries of hydrogen…

Fund to secure our energy supply and boost cutting-edge nuclear projects opens for business

A £120 million government fund designed to unlock and accelerate new nuclear technologies while encouraging new players into the market opens today (13 May). The Future Nuclear Enabling Fund will help to realise the government’s ambition…

£200 million boost to rollout of hundreds more zero-emission HGVs

The world’s largest fleet of zero emission HGVs will take to UK roads through plans to achieve cleaner air and greener jobs, while helping to keep costs down on consumer goods.   Transport Minister Trudy Harrison revealed over £200 million…

Government invests in innovation with £30 million for cutting-edge highway decarbonisation projects

Cutting-edge, innovative ideas to decarbonise the country’s highways will be brought to life thanks to tens of millions of pounds in government funding. The £30 million Live Labs 2 competition, funded by the Department for Transport (DfT),…

Opinion | Boris Johnson, Prime Minister > Secure, clean and affordable British energy for the long term.

For most of the industrial age, the UK was what we now call ‘energy independent’. The great coal fields of the North, the Midlands and South Wales heated our homes, fed the voracious boilers of Megawatt Valley and created vast volumes…

Government future proofs Britain’s energy system with launch of new body to boost energy resilience

The government has committed to delivering a new public body to strengthen the resilience of Great Britain’s energy system. The Future System Operator (FSO), to be launched once legislation is passed and timelines have been discussed with…

Government hits accelerator on low-cost renewable power

Contracts for Difference auctions to be held annually, speeding up UK adoption of renewable power and boosting energy security. The rollout of low-cost renewable energy in the UK will be accelerated as the government ramps up auctions for…

Green shipping boost as Maritime Minister announces plans to explore shore power

Call for evidence launches as government aims to accelerate maritime decarbonisation by switching to emissions-cutting shore power at UK ports. Maritime Minister Robert Courts will accelerate the UK’s ambitions to deliver a greener, more…

Government readies Sizewell C nuclear project for future investment

Plans to build a new nuclear power plant in the UK have been backed by £100 million of government funding to support the continued development of the Sizewell C project in Suffolk. The funding commitment from Business and Energy Secretary…

£60 million boost for floating offshore wind

More than £31 million of UK government funding, matched by more than £30 million of industry funding, for development of innovative floating offshore wind technologies. Floating offshore wind projects will receive more than £60 million…

Energy policy briefings ensure better collaboration with UK academics

The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is working with the Open Innovation Team (OIT) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to provide energy policy briefings for UK academics. Briefings will take place from mid…

North West on track to benefit from faster and greener trains in next phase of HS2

Bill to extend HS2 from Crewe to Manchester, creating a new transport spine across the North West that will reduce journey times and boost local economies. Passengers across the North West are one step closer to faster, greener and more…

COP26 President warns Glasgow Climate Pact will remain words on a page unless countries deliver on their promises

Countries need to work together to deliver on the promises made in Glasgow COP26 President, says Alok Sharma. In his first major speech since COP26, Sharma will reflect on the commitments secured at COP26 and the historic Glasgow Climate…

Olympic gold medallist and cyclist Chris Boardman to lead government’s new active travel body

Cyclist Chris Boardman is to become national commissioner of the government’s new cycling and walking body, Active Travel England (ATE).     ATE will be responsible for driving up the standards…

Grant Budge joins the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association as successor to Charlotte Morton

The Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) has announced the appointment of Grant Budge as Chief Executive Elect, to succeed Charlotte Morton, who will gradually withdraw from her ADBA Chief Executive role to focus on her position…

Government launches new scheme for technologies producing hydrogen from biomass

The government has today launched a new programme to help develop innovative technologies to produce hydrogen, a clean energy source, from sustainable biomass and waste. Backed with £5 million in government funding, the new Hydrogen BECCS Innovation…

£26 million government funding to boost biomass in UK

Innovative biomass projects across the UK can bid for a share of £26 million to increase UK production of sustainable biomass. Projects can bid for a share as the government ramps up plans to boost the use of materials such as grasses,…

World-leading experts join UKAEA fusion energy mission

World-leading engineering and science experts have joined the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) on its mission to lead the delivery of sustainable fusion energy. UKAEA has signed two multimillion-pound framework agreements this week to…

Biggest ever renewable energy support scheme opens

The fourth round of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme which aims to secure 12GW of electricity capacity opens with £285 million a year funding for low-carbon technology. The biggest ever round of the UK government’s flagship renewable…

Government-backed liquid hydrogen plane paves way for zero emission flight

Passengers could one day fly to the other side of the world with zero carbon emissions and just one refuelling stop, thanks to government-funded technology being unveiled. The concept aircraft was unveiled (6th December 2021) by the Aerospace…

UK government announces biggest investment into Britain’s tidal power

The UK government will invest £20 million per year in Tidal Stream electricity as part of its flagship renewable energy auction scheme, kickstarting a brand-new chapter for the tidal industry and creating jobs across the UK. The announcement…

Glasgow to be home to first-of-a-kind hydrogen storage project

A trailblazing hydrogen storage project near Glasgow has been backed by nearly £10 million in UK government funding – helping create high-skilled jobs and drive progress towards decarbonising the UK transport sector. Putting Scotland…

UK energy minister celebrates “once-in-a-generation” green jobs opportunity as part of ‘Faces of the Energy Transition’ campaign

Minister of State at the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Rt Hon Greg Hands MP, has highlighted the importance of clean energy innovation to unlock economic opportunities and create future-proof green jobs. The…

Double speed consenting needed, plus taller masts, as UK lags on onshore wind, lobbyists warn

Planning consents for onshore wind farms now running at 600MW each year are only half the rate needed to meet scientists’ recommendations, wind lobbyists RenewableUK have claimed. Even a probable accelerated buildout by the middle of this…

UK’s flagship green investment programme receives £66 million funding increase

Mobilising Institutional Capital Through Listed Product Structures (MOBILIST), the UK’s flagship programme to mobilise large scale investment through publicly listed markets, received a £66 million funding boost at COP26 in Glasgow. The…

UK announces funding for green infrastructure in the Middle East and North Africa

£50m of funding to support energy transition and green infrastructure and growth in the Middle East and North Africa. Minister for the Middle East and North Africa James Cleverly today announced £50m UK funding for the High Impact Partnership…

Truss announces major investment in clean infrastructure in Asia

South East Asian nations are set to benefit from £110 million in new UK finance towards clean infrastructure and support for the region to build back better. Unveiled at the climate summit COP26 taking place in Glasgow, the Association…

World leaders join UK’s Glasgow Breakthroughs to speed up affordable clean tech worldwide

Prime Minister Boris Johnson launches an international plan to deliver clean and affordable technology everywhere by 2030 at COP26. The UK Prime Minister is launching an international plan to deliver clean and affordable technology everywhere…

PM launches new initiative to take Green Industrial Revolution global

UK launches ‘Clean Green Initiative’ at COP26 to help developing countries take advantage of green technology and grow their economies sustainably. The Prime Minister is announcing a major funding package at COP26 to support the rollout…

$12 billion donor support to halt and reverse forest loss

New public finance pledge from 12 countries to support ambitious forest-related climate action in developing countries. 12 countries from around the world have come together in Glasgow today (2 November) to pledge unprecedented levels of…

UK to enshrine mandatory climate disclosures for largest companies in law

Firms will be required to disclose climate-related financial information, ensuring they consider the risks and opportunities they face as a result of climate change. The UK will become the first G20 country to enshrine in law mandatory TCFD-aligned…

New finance model to cut cost of new nuclear power stations

A new funding model to attract a wider range of private investment into new nuclear power projects, cutting the cost of financing them and reducing the cost to consumers, has been set out by the Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng. The Nuclear…

UK’s path to net zero set out in landmark strategy

The Net Zero Strategy sets out how the UK will deliver on its commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. A landmark Net Zero Strategy setting out how the UK will secure 440,000 well-paid jobs and unlock £90 billion in investment in…

Investors pledge almost £10bn at UK Global Investment Summit

At least 30,000 new jobs will be created around the UK thanks to £9.7 billion of new foreign investment due to be announced by the Prime Minister at the Global Investment Summit. The package of 18 deals will support growth in vital sectors…

Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan kickstarts green investment boom

More than £5.8 billion of foreign investment in green projects has been secured since the launch of the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan. This major green investment boost, revealed in new data released by the Department for International…

Five sites shortlisted for UK fusion energy plant

The STEP programme will pave the way to commercial fusion and a virtually limitless supply of low-carbon energy Five sites have been shortlisted as the potential future home of the UK’s prototype fusion energy plant – the Spherical…

Plans unveiled to decarbonise UK power system by 2035

Plans to ensure that Britain’s homes and businesses are powered by affordable, clean and secure electricity by 2035 have been unveiled by the government. A landmark commitment to decarbonise the UK’s electricity system by 2035, was confirmed…

Companies bidding for major government contracts face green rules

New measures which require businesses bidding for major government contracts to commit to achieving net zero emissions come into force. The implementation of these rules will help deliver the manifesto promises made by this government to…

Offshore wind powers North-East jobs in a boost for UK supply chain

More than 440 jobs are being created and safeguarded across the North-East of England in an offshore wind production boom thanks to £130 million of government and private investment. Offshore wind cabling manufacturer JDR Cable Systems…

Nearly £2 million to be given to tech start-ups to power up the transport revolution

Government supports innovators to develop pioneering greener and safer transport. Entrepreneurs and innovators pioneering new ways of creating a better transport system will see their ideas brought to life from idea through to inception…

UK set to be first country to legislate for safe and efficient rollout of fusion energy

The UK will become the first country in the world to detail how it would legislate to ensure the safe and effective rollout of fusion energy, outlined in a Fusion Green Paper launched by Science Minister George Freeman. Fusion…

UK government launches plan for a world-leading hydrogen economy

First-ever vision to kick start world-leading hydrogen economy set to support over 9,000 UK jobs and unlock £4 billion investment by 2030. Tens of thousands of jobs, billions of pounds in investment and new export opportunities will be…

UK’s first Green Gilt raises £10 billion for green projects

Green projects across the country are set to benefit from funding from the UK’s first ever Green Gilt which will help drive progress to net zero and create jobs across the UK. £10 billion was raised from the sale of the Gilt: the largest…

Government boosts UK resilience against climate change

New research to step up the UK’s resilience to the impacts of climate change, such as flooding, heatwaves and extreme weather storms, is made possible by the launch of a new £5 million research programme. Providing high-quality scientific…

Biggest ever renewable energy support scheme backed by additional £265 million

The Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme is the Government’s primary method of encouraging investment in low-carbon electricity. It is open to projects operating in Great Britain. It incentivises investment in renewable energy by providing…

Growing Onshore Wind for a Net Zero Future

By Matthieu Hue, CEO EDF Renewables & Chair, RenewableUK Onshore Wind Steering Group | RenewableUK > Investment in onshore wind must be part of the UK's net zero ambition. Onshore wind is already a key part of the UK’s decarbonisation…

How CIOB can help tackle the climate crisis

In the run up to COP26, the Chartered Institute of Building are taking action to help make net zero a reality. Organisations in the built environment have a responsibility to make net zero happen. It is more important than ever that professional…

Go-Ahead leads the transport industry to net zero

By Mark Anderson, Customer and Commercial Director, Go-Ahead > To achieve a net zero future, we need to make tough decisions. Now is the time to face them. It can be tempting to view climate change as a challenge for the future, impacting…

Long-duration energy storage: The missing piece of the power sector puzzle for net zero

Jim Smith, Managing Director for SSE Renewables explains why projects like the Coire Glas pumped hydro storage scheme are needed to help the UK achieve its goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In the not too distant future…

Encouraging a modal shift to rail is vital to meeting Net-Zero targets

Rail Delivery Group | If the Government wants people to make greener travel choices it must make use of the levers it has at its disposal to motivate public action. As lockdown restrictions have eased, we’ve seen the corresponding resumption…

Solid Foundations: How Concrete Can Help Deliver a Net Zero Future

Mineral Products Association | Over 90 million tonnes of concrete are used each year in the UK alone, shaping the built environment in which we all live, work, and play. As the nation heads towards a net-zero future, the UK concrete industry…

Why net zero needs nuclear to ensure a smooth road to 2050

Without nuclear there is a risk that the UK’s net zero ambitions could be out of reach. The time for action is now. Andrew Storer, CEO of the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre | High Value Manufacturing Catapult There’s…

Four actions that will help ensure Britain makes the most of the COP26 opportunity

Simone Rossi, CEO | EDF > COP26 is different - there is the chance for the UK to lead the way on securing long lasting change. COP26 is an opportunity to bring greater focus to the need for climate action and showcase Britain’s…

Why net zero needs nuclear to succeed

Ian Liddell-Grainger MP and Charlotte Nichols MP | Nuclear Industry Association New investment in large and small-scale nuclear will protect UK jobs, energy security and climate goals, says Nuclear APPG. In its progress report to…

As this generation of nuclear technology concludes, what’s next to replace this essential source of low carbon power?

Jerry Haller, Nuclear Decommissioning Director | EDF For decades, the UK’s nuclear fleet has been safely generating zero carbon electricity to power millions of homes across the country, serving not only as a reliable low carbon power…

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