Plaid Cymru Says Renewables Plan Would Benefit Welsh Communities
Plaid Cymru unveiled a "renewable revolution" manifesto promising a National Energy Strategy, a Renewable Energy Sector Deal and a state‑owned energy company to boost community ownership of wind, tidal and other green assets. The plan aims to accelerate Wales toward energy independence and a net‑zero target by 2040 while lowering household bills. It also proposes a Wales Wealth Fund to reinvest renewable profits into local projects. The party positions the agenda against Labour’s record and Reform UK’s climate stance.
Octopus Energy Launches 50% Cheaper On-Street EV Charging
Octopus Energy announced a new on‑street EV charging offer that cuts rates by half. New customers can charge at about 22.5p per kWh (≈$0.28/kWh), translating to roughly £16 ($20) for a full MG4 charge or 7p ($0.09) per mile. The...
First Large-Scale Biomethanol Bunkering for Global Shipping Launched
Shanghai Electric successfully completed the world’s first large‑scale biomethanol bunkering, fueling the CMA CGM OSMIUM container ship at Shanghai’s Yangshan Port. The operation is part of China’s inaugural commercial biomethanol plant, delivering an initial 50,000 tons per year with plans to...
UK-Focused Flexible Power Platform Supernova Power Launched
Supernova Power, a new UK‑focused flexible power platform, has been launched after InfraVia acquired majority stakes in Mercia Power Response and Balance Power Projects and merged them. The combined entity will develop, construct, operate, manage energy and finance battery storage...
We’re Absorbing £7M+ in Costs to Protect Our Customers.
Energy supplier tem is absorbing over £7 million (≈$9 million) of the 2026 TNUoS residual banded charge for contracts signed before October 2025, shielding customers from a 60% increase. The TNUoS charge, a non‑commodity cost set by NESO, is rising due to under‑investment...
Northumbrian Water Secures £400m to Support Business Plan
Northumbrian Water has secured a £400 million (≈$500 million) equity investment from CK Infrastructure Holdings and its affiliates to fund its AMP8 five‑year plan. The injection backs a capital programme exceeding £4 billion (≈$5 billion) across the North East, Essex and Suffolk regions. AMP8...
UK Seeks Views on Reshaping Cyber Laws for Downstream Gas and Electricity
The UK government, together with regulator Ofgem, has launched a consultation on revising cyber‑resilience rules for downstream gas and electricity licensees. The proposal would impose baseline cyber security requirements on all Ofgem‑licensed operators, while applying stricter standards to the most...
Big Zero Show – Smaller, Better but Still Bold
The Big Zero Show returned after a year, reaffirming that the net‑zero agenda remains alive despite a fresh energy price crisis. Delegates highlighted flexibility, data‑driven AI, and battery innovations as pivotal to decarbonisation. The event underscored that transition costs are...
Reconomy to Open Plastic Recycling Plant in Corby
Reconomy is investing about $25.4 million to launch a 138,000‑sq‑ft plastic‑recycling plant in Corby, Northamptonshire. The Eurokey‑branded facility will process up to 38,000 tonnes of plastic each year, turning sorted material into recycled pellets for supermarket packaging. Expected to be operational in...
Future-Proofing Europe’s Energy Grid: The ENTSO-E Upgrade
ENTSO‑E’s Transparency Platform has been completely rebuilt by Unicorn, shifting from a legacy monolith to a modern microservice architecture of more than 40 Java and Node.js services with a React single‑page UI. The overhaul delivers lower latency, faster feature rollout...
British Energy Policy Has Always Been Chaotic
A new Cambridge University study led by Tijn Croon reveals that decades of UK and European energy policy have become a patchwork of layered interventions. Support schemes and price controls intended to protect consumers or accelerate clean energy have repeatedly...
Councils Struggling to Plan Charging Infrastructure
Councils across England are grappling with the task of installing electric‑vehicle charging points that meet accessibility standards while contending with limited street space. More than half of local authorities flag the balance between accessible charge points and real‑world constraints as...
Next Generation Platform for Flexibility
Elexon is developing a new digital platform to centralise Britain’s emerging flexibility markets, aligning with the Flexibility Market Rules introduced last year. The system will replace fragmented processes with a single, authoritative hub where providers, system operators and other participants...
EV Road Tax Is Wrong at This Time
The UK government is proposing a pay‑per‑mile duty on electric vehicles to replace traditional road tax. The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) estimates the scheme could impose about £260 million (≈ $330 million) in annual compliance costs, including £75 million (£95 million) for...
Private Energy Market Deal Unlocks New Solar
UrbanChain has signed the first generation power purchase agreement within its private energy market, securing an 8 MW solar project in Devon that will generate about 9 GWh annually and start operating by summer 2026. A UK financial institution is providing project finance...
Europe Energy Transition Investment Jumps by 19%
European clean‑energy investment reached a record $583 bn in 2025, a 19% year‑on‑year increase and outpacing spending in the United States and China. The surge was driven primarily by electrified transport, offshore wind and power‑grid upgrades, with the EU accounting for...
Electricity Networks Set Path for Low-Carbon Century
UK electricity network operators will invest over £120bn by 2050 to modernise the grid and enable low‑carbon power for homes and businesses. The plan targets a 47% reduction in overall energy demand through smarter, more efficient networks. Existing reliability already...
Funding Boost Supports Grangemouth’s Low-Carbon Transition
Scotland’s government has allocated £41,000 to Unite the Union to run the Grangemouth Jobs Prioritisation Scheme, tying public investment to local employment. Over the past year, £11.4 million has funded low‑carbon projects such as Celtic Renewables and MiAlgae, with 316 workers...
End Game for Nuclear Power Station
Hunterston B, the UK’s first advanced gas‑cooled reactor (AGR) to enter decommissioning, will transfer from EDF to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on 1 April. The handover marks the start of a decade‑long program to dismantle seven ageing AGR stations, with the...
Business Supplier Fined £500k and Director Forced to Quit After Ofgem Investigation
Ofgem fined Farringdon Energy £525,000 and forced its director to resign after uncovering serious mismanagement dating back to 2021. The supplier overcharged 159 business customers a total of £347,717 and kept advance payments as early termination fees despite not delivering...
Meter Changes on the Way to Boost Flexibility
Britain's National Energy System Operator (NESO) has removed restrictive metering requirements, allowing homes and businesses with EV chargers, heat pumps or batteries to participate in the grid’s Balancing Mechanism. This opens the mechanism to aggregated small assets, enabling near‑real‑time response...
Farmers Get Backing to Stick up Turbines
The UK government plans to let farmers, schools and businesses install a single on‑shore wind turbine up to 30 metres tall without filing a planning application. The change extends permitted‑development rights beyond domestic sites, aiming to cut costs and eliminate delays...
Can Giving Away 0.1% of Revenue Get the World to Net Zero?
Point One, a new financing platform, asks businesses to pledge 0.1% of revenue to a pooled fund for clean‑energy projects in emerging economies. Thirty companies have already signed up, and the model predicts that each pound contributed could unlock at...
Britain’s Hydrogen Network Takes Shape with a 300-Mile Spine Along the East Coast
National Gas has launched Phase 1 of Project Union, a 300‑mile hydrogen pipeline stretching from Teesside through Yorkshire to the East Midlands, forming the backbone of a planned 1,500‑mile UK hydrogen network. The corridor will repurpose existing gas lines where feasible and...
Net Hero Podcast – Trees or Soil What’s Better for Tackling Carbon?
In the Net Hero Podcast, Robin Saluoks of eAgronom argues that soil, not trees, holds the majority of terrestrial carbon and is a critical yet deteriorating climate asset. He notes that intensive farming has degraded roughly a third of global...
UK Energy Projects Stall Before Investment as Bankability Concerns Grow
A new Energy Industries Council report finds UK energy projects are stalling before final investment decisions due to persistent bankability challenges. Forty‑four percent of senior executives say bankability has not improved since early 2025, while 34% cite viable off‑take agreements...
Don’t Use Oil Price Chaos to Hike Prices Says Miliband
UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband warned that firms will not be allowed to profit from the recent surge in global oil prices caused by Middle East tensions. The Competition and Markets Authority has been placed on high alert to curb...
North Wales Firms Urged to Prepare for Low-Carbon Opportunities at Wylfa
North Wales is being positioned as a hub for the proposed Wylfa nuclear project, which could host Rolls‑Royce small modular reactors. The development promises up to 3,000 construction jobs and roughly 800 permanent roles once operational. Local businesses are urged...
Flexible Wearable Batteries on the Cards?
Researchers at Empa have created a stretchable polymer electrolyte based on modified silicone that conducts ions while retaining elasticity. The flexible electrolyte can suppress lithium dendrite growth and fill microscopic voids, enhancing solid‑state battery stability and energy density. Its ultra‑thin...
Good Energy Won Solar Contracts From DESNZ when Its CEO’s Brother Was in Senior Role
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero awarded more than £70,000 in solar‑panel contracts for schools to Amelio Enterprises, a firm owned by Good Energy. The deals were processed by Crown Commercial Services under the Great British Energy scheme,...
Tesla Gets Energy Supply Licence
Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd has been granted a UK electricity supply licence by Ofgem after a seven‑month review, allowing the company to sell power directly to residential and commercial customers across Great Britain. The approval, effective March 2026, adds retail...
Revolutionizing Nordic Imbalance Settlement with Unicorn Systems
Unicorn Systems has upgraded the Nordic Balance Settlement (NBS) model, enabling the new Independent Aggregator role for balancing services across Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The enhancement, built on the Damas MMS:E platform, introduces 15‑minute settlement, expanded invoicing products and...
More Nations Commit to Nuclear Future
At the Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris, Belgium, Brazil, China and Italy joined 34 other nations in a declaration to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050. The pledge raises the coalition to 38 countries and targets 1,200 GW of nuclear generation,...
Scots Still Support Windfall Tax
A new Survation poll of over 2,000 Scottish adults shows 41% support for the Energy Profit Levy, while only 19% oppose it. Backing cuts across party lines, with Liberal Democrat voters at 59% and Labour at 54%, and even 37%...
Net Zero Won’t Fail if We Miss 1.5C Target
New research from the Euro‑Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, published in Nature Climate Change, finds that a temporary overshoot of the Paris 1.5°C limit does not derail the global net‑zero goal, but it reshapes how climate policy is crafted. Scenarios...
Solar on New Builds More Attractive to House Buyers
A new E.ON UK survey of 2,500 adults reveals that 75% of potential homebuyers are more likely to choose a newly built house equipped with solar panels, making solar the most desired low‑carbon feature at 72% preference. Support for mandatory...
EU’s Dream of Energy for the People Is Far Away
The European Court of Auditors reports that the EU’s citizen‑led energy community programme is lagging dramatically behind its original timetable. While Brussels envisioned these schemes supplying 17‑21% of the bloc’s wind and solar capacity by 2030, the number of active...
EPC Delay Will Help Fine Tune Effectiveness
The UK government has pushed back the implementation of new Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rules for rented homes to autumn 2027, giving ministers time to refine the overhaul of the Energy Performance of Buildings regime. The revised EPC framework, set...
Gas Supplies Are Not Running Out Says Labour
Labour reaffirmed that the United Kingdom’s gas supplies remain secure despite ongoing geopolitical tensions, highlighting a diversified mix of domestic North Sea output, pipeline imports from Norway, European interconnectors, and LNG terminals. Government data show Qatar accounts for only about...
UK Businesses Are Starting to Choose Stability over Price – and Reshaping the Energy Market
UK businesses are moving away from the traditional race‑to‑the‑bottom energy procurement model, opting for price stability and transparency instead of the lowest rates. Recent surveys show 23% of firms have reduced operations because of volatile electricity costs, while 40% of...
Net Hero Podcast – Auctions Matter for Our Green Future
The UK’s AR7 renewable auction delivered a record 14.7 GW of new capacity, with offshore wind alone providing roughly 8.4 GW. The outcome signals that private capital is willing to fund large‑scale clean‑energy projects, restoring confidence after earlier rounds faltered. Industry leaders...
Energy Transition Isn’t Fair
The UK Environmental Audit Committee warns that fairness is a critical missing piece in the upcoming Seventh Carbon Budget (2038‑2042). It argues that uneven cost distribution—such as pay‑per‑mile electric‑vehicle charges—will erode public consent for net‑zero. The committee recommends shifting electricity...
Exeter Housing Estate Runs on Renewable Gas
A 19‑home estate in Exeter’s Seaward Park became the UK’s first residential development to run entirely on renewable liquid petroleum gas (bioLPG) in December 2025. The switch cuts carbon emissions by up to 80% compared with conventional LPG while allowing...
No Clean Grid…no Green Hydrogen
Researchers at the University of Sheffield warn that green hydrogen’s environmental benefits depend on decarbonising national power grids. Their Nature Communications Sustainability study modeled 20 production and transport scenarios across 14 countries from 2023 to 2050, comparing electrolysis and biomass...
Can We Turn Captured C02 Into Stone?
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh used natural isotopic fingerprints to verify that CO₂ injected at Iceland’s Carbfix site permanently mineralises into solid carbonate minerals within basaltic rock. The method tracks the gas without adding artificial tracers, offering a low‑intervention...
Turbines on Farmland Can Help Not Hinder Nature
Wind turbines sited on agricultural land occupy a modest 15‑25 metre concrete base, leaving the majority of the field available for crops or livestock. UK planning rules require acoustic assessments, and measured noise typically matches rural background levels. Ecological surveys and...
Scottish Government Offers £17m to Help Job Transition
The Scottish government has launched a £17 million tranche of its Just Transition Fund to accelerate green jobs, innovation and supply‑chain diversification in the North East and Moray. For the first time, community organisations and social enterprises are guaranteed a portion...
EU Leaders Told to Stop Fiddling with Energy Markets
Eurelectric’s presidency wrote to EU heads urging them to stop reopening the marginal pricing debate, warning that regulatory churn could jeopardise the massive investment needed for a decarbonised power system. The warning follows European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s indication that...
How Noisy Is Clean Power?
The University of Manchester has launched the (not)NOISY research programme to develop the first advanced tools for predicting underwater noise from tidal turbine arrays. The project will create high‑fidelity computer models and AI‑assisted simulations that estimate how turbine noise travels...
EVs Not Just for the Middle Classes
Electric‑vehicle ownership in England is expanding beyond affluent early adopters, with 2025 data showing purchases across almost every deprivation decile except the poorest ten percent. The shift is driven by a thriving second‑hand market that lowers upfront costs and by...