NESO report says clean grid achievable by 2030

Commissioned by energy secretary Ed Miliband, the Clean Power in 2030 (CP30) Report is NESO’s first significant policy contribution since it was spun out of National Grid Plc in October 2024, becoming a fully public entity. NESO said achieving CP30 is ‘challenging but achievable’ and that clean sources can produce at least as much power as the island of Great Britain consumes by 2030.

To hit the target, however, it’s claimed industry, government and regulators need to work together at a pace not seen before. Offshore wind must be rolled out at twice the highest rate ever achieved, with as much capacity coming online in the next two years as has been installed over the past six. Similarly, around twice as much transmission network capacity needs to be built in the coming five years compared with the previous ten, enabling the gigawatts of new offshore wind to be dispatched to all corners of Great Britain. 

“There’s no doubt that the challenges ahead on the journey to delivering clean power are great,” said NESO chief executive, Fintan Slye. “However, if the scale of those challenges is matched with the bold, sustained actions that are outlined in this report, the benefits delivered could be even greater.” 

According to NESO, the overall systems costs should not increase as we move towards CP30. The operator said that bills could fall through a reduction in legacy policy costs as contracts expire, as well as through energy efficiency gains and policy decisions. 

NESO said CP30 also represents an opportunity for the UK to ‘become a world leader in first-of-a-kind technologies’ such as hydrogen and CCS. And while significant investment is needed to boost domestic energy production and reduce reliance on imported gas, ultimately this will free the UK from the volatile price swings of fossil fuel markets, enhancing energy security.

“A clean power system for Great Britain will deliver a backbone of home-grown energy that breaks the link between volatile international gas prices,” said Slye, “that is secure and affordably powers our homes and buildings; that decarbonises the transport that we take to school and work; that drives the businesses of today and catalyses the innovations of the future.”

The report also acknowledges uncertainties around demand and deliverability. It recommends ‘pursuing multiple options where they exist’ and encouraging competition between and within different energy technologies. The government will now use the advice in the CP30 Report to develop its clean power action plan, due for publication later this year. 

Commenting on the CP30 Report, GE Vernova's Craig Jones, Vice President, UK Energy Transition, said: “Meeting this goal will require us to harness every technology in the tool box including carbon capture, new storage, offshore wind and rapid upgrades to the grid. All of the above. 

“This integrated approach will not only give the UK the best chance of hitting the 2030 target but it also lays the foundations for future innovations, such as SMRs, to come online in the next decade."