Planning consent is a matter for the relevant planning authority, which varies by country. The UK Government would only be responsible for consenting pumped storage hydro (PSH) projects in England above 50MW. In practice, these do not exist given more suitable topography in other parts of Britain.

On 26 June 2026, Ofgem published its "minded-to" decisions on projects to be supported under the Long Duration Electricity Storage (LDES) cap and floor investment support scheme. This includes three PSH projects, all located in Scotland: Loch Kemp, Coire Glas and Earba. The latter two projects already have planning consent. No PSH projects in England applied to the scheme, and none in Wales passed an earlier eligibility assessment. Ofgem is now consulting on these decisions before confirming final awards in autumn 2026.

The events in the Middle East underline the risks of continued dependence on fossil fuels and the importance of accelerating our transition to clean energy. That is why we are driving further and faster for clean homegrown power that we control to protect the British people and bring down bills for good.

The Government acted at last year’s Budget by taking on average £150 of costs off energy bills and we have also extended the Warm Home Discount to cover around 6 million households. We will continue to monitor the situation ahead of the winter and plan for all contingencies.

On 30 June 2026, 55 Whitehall and 3-8 Whitehall Place had 1104 desk work settings, and 2970 active civil servants as their contracted office location.

55 Whitehall and 3-8 Whitehall Place are two adjacent conjoined buildings that provide the main London office space for the Department.

The Renewables Obligation, Feed-in Tariff scheme, CfDs, Green Gas Levy and Nuclear RAB fund investment into home grown clean energy and account for 5% of the current price cap for a typical dual-fuel household.

Independent research that confirms that renewables can drive down electricity prices, already having reduced wholesale electricity prices by up to a quarter - or around £25/MWh - in 2024.

Over this parliament, we are working relentlessly to translate the much cheaper wholesale costs of clean power into lower bills for consumers: the transfer of the RO costs to public expenditure is a significant step towards rebalancing levies away from electricity.

The actions we took at the Budget, which has taken an average £150 of costs off energy bills, is now factored into bills for the years to come.

Instability in the Middle East has shown that Britain’s reliance on international fossil fuel markets leaves families and businesses exposed to volatile gas prices. Levies play an important role in getting the country the clean power we need to protect consumers from this volatility.

The scale of future levies will depend on future policy decisions. The transfer of 75% of domestic Renewables Obligation costs to public expenditure is a significant step towards rebalancing levies away from electricity as part of the actions we took at the Budget, which have taken an average £150 of costs off household energy bills and are now factored into bills for the years to come.

The government will continue to explore ways to lower energy bills for consumers and reduce barriers for consumers to adopt clean technologies. Any further changes will only be done in a way which is fair to consumers.

The Warm Homes Loan Scheme has been allocated up to £300m CDEL and under the Warm Homes Fund up to £1.7bn. The Government is undertaking detailed modelling, in line with departmental appraisal and analytical standards, to inform estimates of the number of retrofit installations that may be supported.

The number and type of measures financed will depend on several factors, including consumer uptake and the technologies installed; and loan sizes and repayment terms. These elements remain under development and analysis and, therefore, the Government has not yet finalised estimates of the total number of measures to be financed, nor any breakdown by technology type or tenure.

Further information will be published in due course.

The Warm Homes Loan Scheme has been allocated up to £300m CDEL and under the Warm Homes Fund up to £1.7bn. The Government is undertaking detailed modelling, in line with departmental appraisal and analytical standards, to inform estimates of the number of retrofit installations that may be supported.

The number and type of measures financed will depend on several factors, including consumer uptake and the technologies installed; and loan sizes and repayment terms. These elements remain under development and analysis and, therefore, the Government has not yet finalised estimates of the total number of measures to be financed, nor any breakdown by technology type or tenure.

Further information will be published in due course.

The Warm Homes Loan Scheme has been allocated up to £300m CDEL and under the Warm Homes Fund up to £1.7bn. The Government is undertaking detailed modelling, in line with departmental appraisal and analytical standards, to inform estimates of the number of retrofit installations that may be supported.

The number and type of measures financed will depend on several factors, including consumer uptake and the technologies installed; and loan sizes and repayment terms. These elements remain under development and analysis and, therefore, the Government has not yet finalised estimates of the total number of measures to be financed, nor any breakdown by technology type or tenure.

Further information will be published in due course.

Greenhouse Gas Removals are important for reaching net zero, by balancing residual emissions from hard-to-decarbonise sectors while providing new economic opportunities.

A range of removal technologies will be needed to deliver net zero, including Energy from Waste with Carbon Capture and Storage projects which have the potential to deliver removals by capturing the biogenic CO₂ from their waste feedstock.

The Government remains committed to ensuring that removals delivered under future policy frameworks are measurable, verifiable and represent high-integrity carbon removals.

The move to make plug-in solar panels available in shops within months comes as government steps up its drive for clean homegrown power to get the UK off its dependency on fossil fuel markets. Plug-in solar panels provide a new, simple alternative for those who may not have the option of rooftop solar, and could offer savings of up to £110 a year on energy bills for a typical home.

It has been rolled out successfully in other countries. To safely bring plug-in solar to the UK market within this timeframe, we launched an expedited consultation on required regulatory changes alongside running a series of in-depth and targeted meetings with a wide range of stakeholders.

Energy from Waste with Carbon Capture and Storage projects have the potential to deliver Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGRs). Subject to robust monitoring, reporting and lifecycle assessment arrangements, these projects could contribute to the delivery of high-integrity carbon removals in the UK.

The Carbon Budget Delivery Growth Plan set out projected emissions savings of 0.7Mtpa by 2030, increasing to 21.8Mtpa by 2035, but did not break this down by technology. Modelling is reviewed as evidence emerges.

The expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to Energy from Waste facilities will provide an incentive for the development and uptake of decarbonisation technologies and practices to reduce emissions. The UK ETS Authority (which includes the UK Government and the Welsh Government) will ensure that the expansion will complement existing and upcoming waste and environmental policies. While waste policy is generally devolved, the UK Government, Welsh Government and other Devolved Governments, have committed to plan collectively for implementation of the ETS in this sector. The UK Government holds regular discussions with the Welsh Government as part of this.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is currently the only net zero compliant technology for many types of plants in the residual waste management sector.

Energy from Waste with CCS projects have the potential to deliver Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGRs) by capturing biogenic carbon dioxide contained within waste streams.

The Government recognises the potential role that Energy from Waste with CCS projects, including those in Wales, could play in supporting delivery of future carbon budgets. The Carbon Budget Delivery Growth Plan set out projected emissions savings of 0.7Mtpa by 2030, increasing to 21.8Mtpa by 2035, but did not break this down by technology. Modelling is reviewed as evidence emerges.

A range of decarbonisation and greenhouse gas removals technologies will be needed to support delivery of Carbon Budget 7 and the UK's net zero target.

The Government recognises that Waste to Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage projects have the potential to generate revenues from Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGRs), reducing the level of government support required.

Energy from Waste projects can be supported by government through the Waste Industrial Carbon Capture Business Model, which accounts for potential revenue from Greenhouse Gas Removals generated by capturing the biogenic CO₂ from their waste feedstock.

If a supported project generates GGRs, 90% of the value of the credits sold is deducted from the subsidy payments to the project. This structure ensures that these revenues reduce the level of government support provided.

The Government supports deployment of CCUS across the UK, including in Wales. The Heidelberg Materials North-Wales Padeswood project is in construction and currently expected to capture up to 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually once operational.

The HyNet Cluster Review Point (CRP) is underway and is considering projects from the August 2025 Project Negotiation List. The Government retains flexibility to move projects between classifications and is undertaking a holistic assessment against a range of factors, including affordability, value for money, maturity, deliverability, strategic contribution, and network capacity.

We will communicate outcomes and further CRP guidance to projects as soon as possible.

The Government supports deployment of CCUS across the UK, including in Wales. The Heidelberg Materials North-Wales Padeswood project is in construction and currently expected to capture up to 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually once operational.

The HyNet Cluster Review Point (CRP) is underway and is considering projects from the August 2025 Project Negotiation List. The Government retains flexibility to move projects between classifications and is undertaking a holistic assessment against a range of factors, including affordability, value for money, maturity, deliverability, strategic contribution, and network capacity.

We will communicate outcomes and further CRP guidance to projects as soon as possible.

The Government supports deployment of CCUS across the UK, including in Wales. The Heidelberg Materials North-Wales Padeswood project is in construction and currently expected to capture up to 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually once operational.

The HyNet Cluster Review Point (CRP) is underway and is considering projects from the August 2025 Project Negotiation List. The Government retains flexibility to move projects between classifications and is undertaking a holistic assessment against a range of factors, including affordability, value for money, maturity, deliverability, strategic contribution, and network capacity.

We will communicate outcomes and further CRP guidance to projects as soon as possible.

The Government is committed to supporting UK industry to decarbonise while ensuring that this does not mean deindustrialisation.

Last year, the government set out the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, which will drive forward ambition for UK business operating in the clean energy space. Clean energy is one of our fastest growing sectors, bringing jobs in areas like nuclear, offshore wind, and electricity networks.

Free allowances in the UK Emission Trading Scheme and the forthcoming UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism protect UK industry from being undercut as it decarbonises. In addition, this year, 500 of our most energy intensive businesses will see a cut to their bills, with thousands more getting discounts in 2027.

A cross-economy delivery plan setting out how Carbon Budget 7 will be met will be published as soon as is reasonably practicable, in line with the Climate Change Act 2008.

Tackling affordability is this government’s number one priority. The Government acted at last year’s Budget by taking on average £150 of costs off energy bills, with those decisions now factored into bills for the years to come.

The recent rise in the price cap announced by Ofgem will be deeply concerning news for families. That is why we are doubling down on our mission for clean power to get us off the rollercoaster of fossil fuel prices and onto clean, homegrown power to bring down bills for good.

In addition, around 6 million households in Britain will have benefitted from our expanded £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, which will remain in place for the rest of the decade. We understand that the developments in the Middle East are concerning: we will continue to monitor the situation ahead of the winter and plan for all contingencies.

The costs of climate action are far outweighed by the cost of inaction.

The government’s Impact Assessment (IA) for Carbon Budget 7 estimates the net cost to deliver net zero over the period 2025-2050 at around £755 billion, with the total quantified benefits estimated to be £1.62 trillion, delivering a net present value of £865 billion.

The costs include a mix of private and public sector investment we estimate to upgrade infrastructure, transport and heating systems.