Written question asked by Debbie Abrahams (Labour) on Monday, 23 March 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 25 March 2026. It was answered by Michael Shanks (Labour) on Tuesday, 31 March 2026 on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Wave Power

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the potential contribution of wave power to the UK's renewable energy mix; and what steps his department is taking to support its deployment.

Answer: The Carbon Trust estimates the UK’s total wave resource to be around 230 TWh/year, with an exploitable resource of 40–50 TWh/year. However, wave energy is not yet commercially viable. The Government monitors progress closely and supports innovation through research funding programmes operated by UK Research and Innovation. As set out in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, emerging technologies may have a role to play in the longer term, subject to cost reduction, performance improvement and demonstrated scalability.

Secondary information