Grid connection for clean energy firms to be fast-tracked, ministers say April 15, 2025 Grid connections for businesses delivering clean energy are to be prioritised, ministers have said. The government has said so-called ‘zombie projects’ which hold up the queue for National Grid connectivity are set to be axed from the waiting list. While industries including data centres and AI, wind energy and solar projects will be accelerated for [...]
Nationalising British Steel won’t help the UK’s dying industry April 9, 2025 Nationalising British Steel is a painting-over-the-cracks solution. The real problem is energy prices, writes Elinor Bale.
Planning application for Cumbria coal mine dropped after legal setbacks April 5, 2025 The company behind a proposed development for the UK’s first coal mine in 30 years has withdrawn its planning application. The government confirmed on Friday that West Cumbria Mining (WCM) withdrew its application for the site near Whitehaven after years of legal and regulatory setbacks. Then-housing secretary Michael Gove first granted planning permission for the [...]
‘Awful April’ price hikes will cause ‘inflation surge’ April 1, 2025 Sweeping price hikes coming into effect from Tuesday are set to push up inflation, a leading economics consultancy has said, as what many have called ‘Awful April’ is set to put an extra burden on businesses’ costs. Higher costs in everything from water to energy will contribute to a rise in inflation that peaks at [...]
Drax strikes deal to develop 400,000 tonne ash facility March 27, 2025 Drax has agreed a 20-year joint venture deal that will see the development of an ash processing facility close to its power station. The new facility is expected to begin operations by the end of 2026 and produce 400,000 tonnes of ash per year at full capacity. The company estimates it will generate incremental adjusted [...]
Ofgem to fast-track £4bn investment in UK electricity grid March 20, 2025 Ofgem has announced plans to fast-track around £4bn of investment into expanding the UK’s electricity transmission network as it looks to decarbonise the grid by 2030. The Advanced Procurement Mechanism (APM) will enable signed-off projects to “break ground as soon as planning approval is granted,” the energy regulator said in a statement on Thursday. It [...]
Grangemouth: Green future for oil refinery needs £3.5bn, report finds March 19, 2025 Delivering a green future for the Grangemouth oil refinery will require around £3.5bn in private investment, a report has found. The long-awaited Project Willow study, which itself cost £1.5m, sets out nine options for the future of the industrial cluster in central Scotland. Hundreds of jobs are set to be lost this year when the [...]
Treasury on the hunt for new National Wealth Fund boss March 19, 2025 The Treasury announced on Wednesday that it had begun searching for a new chief executive to lead the recently established National Wealth Fund. The policy bank’s current boss John Flint will exit the role this summer after overseeing the institution’s rebrand from the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB). Flint, who is a former HSBC group chief [...]
Ed Miliband in China for climate meetings amid new investment approach March 14, 2025 Energy secretary Ed Miliband is in China for climate meetings in a bid to restart the government’s environmental dialogue with the Asian nation. The energy security and net zero secretary will meet Chinese counterparts Wang Hongzhi and Huang Runqiu to pursue efforts to work jointly to slash emissions, the government said. It marks the first [...]
What’s in the government’s new planning reform bill? March 10, 2025 The government has promised to unleash the biggest building boom in a generation through its wide-ranging planning reform bill, which will head into parliament today. Drafted in response to a crisis which has seen a massive shortage of affordable housing, as well as rising house prices and rents to due undersupply, the bill intends to [...]