Tag: 2025

The press release issued by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 23 July 2025.

Government sets out plans for a more flexible electricity system, helping working families save on their bills.

Households and businesses will be supported with more options to take control of their energy – expanding freedom and choice as the government drives for clean power.

The government’s plans for a more flexible electricity system set out today will help working families save on their bills, by supporting those who want to take advantage of low prices when clean energy is abundant. Consumers will have the opportunity to switch to a flexible tariff and use smart appliances to automatically reap the rewards of cheaper power at non-peak times.

Many consumers are already protecting their pockets by varying when they use their electricity. Electric vehicle drivers, for example, could save up to £330 per year by smart charging overnight.

More households who want to feel those benefits will be supported through the government’s commitments in the Clean Flexibility Roadmap. These include helping electric vehicle drivers get discounts on their electricity when using public chargers at off-peak times, requiring suppliers to make information on smart tariffs more accessible to consumers, and taking the next steps to help consumers access tailored products and services based on their electricity usage.

Supporting more consumers to use electricity at off-peak times will also boost the efficiency and resilience of the electricity network, making up to £70 billion in estimated savings on system costs by 2050.

This marks a crucial milestone in ensuring consumers reap the rewards of the government’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, which it is driving forward as part of its Plan for Change.

Energy Minister Michael Shanks said:

This roadmap gives households and businesses the choice and control over when and how they use their energy.

The flexible electricity system we are working to build will help make that a reality for consumers across the country, by supporting them to bring down their bills through using new tariffs and technologies.

In this way we will protect working people’s pockets and ensure they are the first to benefit from our clean power mission.

Kayte O’Neill, Chief Operating Officer, NESO, said:

The journey towards a decarbonised system will bring opportunities for industry and consumers if we can solve the challenges of using the system flexibly.

This roadmap provides clear direction for that, setting out the actions needed to increase flexibility across Great Britain and the rewards it will bring.

Akshay Kaul Director General for Infrastructure Group, Ofgem, said:

A more flexible energy market will be a real game changer, giving households more control over what they pay for their energy.

Small lifestyle tweaks such as programming a dishwasher or tumble dryer to run overnight when costs are low or charging your electric car during high winds can have a material impact on people’s bills.

At Ofgem we’re opening up flexibility markets to bring better tariffs and products to consumers to make cheaper bills a reality.

Stakeholder reaction

Sarah Honan, Head of Policy at ADE: Demand, said:

Industry demanded a step change in leadership to match our ambition – and this roadmap delivers. A dedicated Flexibility Commissioner aligns squarely with our sector’s blueprint for consumer-led clean power.

Now, we must place British homes and businesses at the heart of the system; paying them to flex, not paying gas plants to bail us out. That’s how we lower bills, ditch fossil fuel dependency and make clean power by 2030 real.

Barnaby Wharton, Director of Future Electricity Systems, RenewableUK, said:

A secure, affordable and resilient power system based on renewables needs flexibility at its core, to match times when wind and solar are generating with smart demand.

This roadmap puts consumers at the heart of that system, empowering households and businesses to take control of how and when they use electricity, so they can save money by using power when it’s cheapest.

By embracing smart tariffs and technologies like EVs, modern heating systems and home batteries, and by accelerating the roll-out of more grid-scale batteries and Long Duration Energy Storage alongside renewables, we can build a more agile system which can shift, adapt and respond to demand faster. Scaling up our capacity to store energy is essential to strengthen the grid and enhance the UK’s energy security.

Naomi Baker, Senior Policy Manager at Energy UK, said:

Energy UK welcomes the roadmap as a positive step towards a smarter, more flexible electricity system that passes the lower cost of renewables through to bill payers. We support the comprehensive scope – from the major new technologies (long duration storage, CCUS and hydrogen) that will ensure system resilience, through to the knotty regulatory barriers that limit market access from consumer assets.

The UK is already leading the world in creating an energy system with consumers at the heart of it. Today’s publication builds on this with a market-led approach where customer participation is voluntary, attractive and accessible. A smart flexible system will be a win for bills, a win for British jobs and a win for energy security.

Kelly Butler, Director of External Affairs at BEAMA, said:

As long-standing advocates for accelerating electrification, BEAMA welcomes the publication of the Clean Flexibility Roadmap and a commitment not only to track progress but also focus on practical delivery.

With appropriate lead times for product development, a technology agnostic approach within electrification and a clear connection across consumer facing policies such as EPCs, we anticipate major supply chain investment to meet the challenge.

With the oversight of a new Flexibility Commissioner, the roadmap has the potential to help grow the sector, and bring increased momentum to delivering flexibility to consumers and businesses through mass market uptake of Energy Smart Appliances.

Merlin Hyman OBE, Chief Executive of Regen, said:

Making our power system more flexible in how we match supply and demand is a key part of clean power 2030 so we greatly welcome the government’s Clean Flexibility Roadmap.

The roadmap is an important step to bring together reforms needed to unlock the full value of the rapidly developing grid scale storage sector and consumer led flexibility in a coordinated work programme.

The challenge now is to deliver what is a significant programme of reform of the way our electricity markets and system work to enable a rapid transition to a clean power system and to deliver value to customers.

Chris O’Shea, Centrica CEO, said:

A one-size-fits-all approach to energy doesn’t work for the world we live in now. The Government’s shift to personalised power is the right one. We know consumers want flexibility and fairness, and this roadmap delivers both. At British Gas we’ve already started this work through our market-leading Peak Save scheme, saving our customers over £25 million on their energy bills. Whether it’s smart charging an EV overnight or running appliances off-peak, we’re empowering households to get cheaper, greener energy with tech that works around our customers lives – not the other way around.

Ramona Vlasiu, Chief Operating Officer at E.ON Next said:

We welcome the government’s Clean Flexibility Roadmap as a vital step in giving households more control over their energy use and bills.

We’re already helping customers unlock these benefits through innovative time-of-use tariffs, smart battery trials that could save households up to £300 a month, and our partnership with Northern Powergrid to explore how smart technologies and local energy solutions can help lower bills and support a more resilient grid.

Flexibility is key to a cleaner, more affordable energy future. We support continued progress on the policies and regulations that will make it easier and more accessible for people to transform their relationship with energy, tackle long-term affordability, and ensure everyone can benefit from Britain’s transition to clean power.

The press release issued by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 23 July 2025.

10 projects from the first phase of the government’s flagship hydrogen programme can begin construction.

Skilled jobs will be created in Britain’s industrial heartlands, as the first commercial-scale green hydrogen projects in the country sign long-term contracts to fuel heavy industry with clean, homegrown energy.

In an update to the hydrogen market, the government has confirmed that 10 projects from the first phase of its flagship hydrogen programme – Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR1) – can begin construction, supporting the government’s mission to become a clean energy superpower.

This means spades can now enter the ground across the country in a major boost to the UK’s hydrogen industry, creating highly skilled jobs in industrial cities and regions such as South Wales, Bradford (North West), North Scotland and Teesside (North East).

These projects will support British industry to move away from using fossil fuels towards domestically-produced low-carbon hydrogen, reducing emissions heavy industry – such as steel, glass and heavy transport – ensuring decarbonisation is a route to reindustrialisation.

The HyMarnham project in Newark, Nottinghamshire has already started construction. The project is transforming the old High Marnham coal-fired power station into a clean energy hub by using hydrogen to decarbonise waste disposal operations.

Cromarty Hydrogen Project in Northeast Scotland is another of the 10 projects. The project’s 3 5MW electrolysers – which use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen – will power local industrial users, including distilleries.

Taken together, the projects are expected to create over 700 jobs, including roles for apprentices, graduates, pipefitters and engineers. They are also expected to bring in over £400 million of private capital investment which has been committed between 2024 and 2026 – driving economic growth and British innovation through the Plan for Change.

The update comes as Andrex and Kleenex producer Kimberly-Clark announces that it will be the first major consumer goods company in the UK to make a significant commitment to green hydrogen. Kimberly-Clark, together with energy partners HYRO, Carlton Power, and Schroders Greencoat, will invest a combined £125 million into HAR1 projects at two plants in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria and Northfleet, Kent.

Minister for Industry, Sarah Jones, said:

This government is rolling out hydrogen out at scale for the first time, with 10 of the first projects now shovel-ready to start powering businesses with clean, homegrown energy from Teesside to Devon.

Hydrogen will help us cut industrial emissions and support Britain’s industrial renewal by creating thousands of jobs in our industrial heartlands as part of the Plan for Change.

Neil McDermott, Chief Executive of Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC), said:

LCCC is proud to have signed the UK’s first Low Carbon Hydrogen Agreements, supporting the development of projects under the Hydrogen Production Business Model.

These agreements provide revenue stability for producers, and a clear signal that low-carbon hydrogen has a key role to play in the UK’s future energy system.

We look forward to working closely with project developers to bring these projects into operation.

Dan Howell, Managing Director at Kimberly-Clark UK & Ireland said:

We are delighted to be the first UK consumer goods manufacturer to really embrace green hydrogen, showing that manufacturing industries can take the lead and overcome the technical challenge and adopt green hydrogen at scale. This initiative builds on the investments and progress we’ve already made with innovative technologies for our business, our consumers and our customers.

Today’s announcement follows the Spending Review which saw an extra £500 million confirmed for the first ever hydrogen transport and storage network as part of Britain’s industrial renewal, connecting hydrogen producers with vital end users, including power stations and industry for the first time.

The government has also announced that it will consult on transmission-level hydrogen blending – assessing the economic and technical feasibility for hydrogen to be blended into the networks that are the backbone of Britain’s gas system, before it is safely transported into homes and businesses.

Hydrogen transmission blending has the potential to reduce costs for hydrogen production projects and the wider energy system, and the consultation will also gather evidence to assess whether hydrogen blending could lower consumers’ energy bills.

Clare Jackson, CEO of Hydrogen UK, said:

Signing these contracts demonstrates the confidence and commitment of both the government and industry in building a sustainable hydrogen sector.

Our members are at the forefront of this transition, and their projects will play a vital role in meeting the UK’s net-zero targets while driving economic growth and job creation.

Dr Emma Guthrie, CEO of the Hydrogen Energy Association, said:

This announcement marks a significant and encouraging milestone for the UK’s hydrogen sector.

The signing of contracts for 10 projects under HAR1 provides vital momentum and confidence for industry and investors alike.

We look forward to seeing these projects move into the next phase, helping to scale up the UK’s low carbon hydrogen economy.

Pierre de Raphélis-Soissan, CEO of Hynamics UK who are developing the Tees Green Hydrogen project, said:

We are delighted that Tees Green Hydrogen has successfully signed a contract as part of the Hydrogen Allocation Round.

We are committed to advancing low carbon hydrogen solutions that not only support the UK’s energy transition but also contribute to a sustainable future for our communities.

This achievement marks a significant milestone in the journey towards industrial decarbonisation within the Tees Valley region.

Gareth Mills and Kevin Selleslags, on behalf of Bradford Low Carbon Hydrogen (BLCH) said:

Signing our contract to take the largest HAR 1 project forward is a significant step.

Thanks to the government’s investment, we’re able to continue to progress our plans to transform Birkshall from a former fossil fuel gas site powering Bradford’s homes and businesses to a flagship low carbon hydrogen production facility and fuelling station.

The scheme will not only help the area decarbonise with cleaner fuel but will vitally create around £120 million and support 125 jobs in the regional economy.

Alistair Collins, Director at HyMarnham Power, said:

As one of the first HAR1 projects now commissioning electrolyser systems, we’re proud to demonstrate what government support can unlock, real infrastructure, green hydrogen production and a tangible contribution to the UK’s net zero and energy security goals.

Lucy Whitford, RES’ Managing Director, UK&I, said:

Green hydrogen, created using British low carbon energy, will revolutionise how we power industry, helping the UK to build a globally competitive, zero carbon economy in the process.

We are proud of the success of HYRO’s Northfleet project, which will show how we can make green hydrogen a reality.