UK Trends and Developments Contributed by: Ruth Byrne KC, Andrea Stauber and Erin Vandzura, King & Spalding International LLP
on several fronts and contained no new govern- ment spending. Friends of the Earth, the envi- ronmental campaign group, threatened legal action against the UK government – warning that “ministers should be scaling up and accel- erating the race to net zero, but these plans look half-baked, half-hearted and dangerously lacking ambition”. Energy UK welcomed the UK government’s confirmation of its ambitions and plans, while insisting that a relentless drive for One of the key tenets of Labour’s economic pol- icy has been its Green Prosperity Plan, which promises substantial investment into green industries to “cut bills, create jobs and deliver security with cheaper, zero-carbon electricity by 2030”. Labour’s aforementioned commitment to making the UK a “clean energy superpower” by 2030 is one of the current UK government’s five key missions as set out in its Plan for Change presented to the UK Parliament on 5 December 2024. delivery must follow. Green Prosperity Plan On 25 July 2024, the government introduced the Great British Energy Bill into Parliament ‒ the aim of which is to establish a new, public- owned company that will work closely with the private sector to promote, invest, own and man- age clean energy projects. Great British Energy is backed by a GBP8.3 billion investment by the UK government and will partner with the Crown Estate to develop suitable Crown land (both onshore and offshore) around the UK. The bill received Royal Assent on 15 May 2025 and came into force on the same day. Three Key Pillars of UK net zero policy Wind The UK is the windiest country in Europe, accord- ing to a report by international energy company
Equinor published in the Financial Times , and the seas around its coastline are even windier. Wind energy is therefore a key element of the delivery of the UK’s Net Zero Target. The UK is the world’s second-largest offshore wind market, with the largest installed capacity outside China. It is reported that, in 2024, wind power was the UK’s largest source of electric- ity ‒ providing 29.4% of the country’s electricity and surpassing natural gas, which accounted for 25.9% of the electricity fuel mix. With regard to the UK offshore wind market, 49.2 TWh of green electricity was produced by off- shore wind in 2024, with offshore wind energy making up 18% of total UK electricity needs (and enough to supply the electricity needs of more than half of UK homes). The Crown Estate Off- shore Wind Report 2024 recorded 52 wind farms – either operating or under construction – in UK waters. Another five have secured a Contract for Difference (the UK government’s flagship scheme to incentivise investment in renewable energy), which is the bedrock of offshore wind project development in the UK. In 2022, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, Hornsea 2, entered full operation approximate- ly 89 kilometres off the Yorkshire coast. Con- struction also started in 2022 on Dogger Bank, which is located between 125 and 290 kilome- tres off the east coast of Yorkshire and will be the world’s biggest offshore wind farm when completed, extending over approximately 8,660 square kilometres. The blades used at Dogger Bank are 107 metres long and one rotation will produce enough electricity to power a UK home for more than two days. An initial phase of the project began producing electricity in 2023 and completion of the remaining phases is expected in 2026.
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