The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced the outcome of the government’s latest renewable energy auction. Allocation Round 7 (AR7) of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme has awarded contracts for 8.4 GW of renewable electricity capacity, primarily offshore wind, which the DESNZ states is sufficient to supply the equivalent of more than 12 million homes.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced reforms to the planning framework for the development of nuclear power plants in England and Wales. Key reforms include facilitating the construction of Small Modular Reactors in the UK for the first time. Additional reforms include lifting the previous limitation that restricted nuclear development to eight designated sites, encouraging investment and enabling developers to identify optimal locations for their projects. This approach will support development across a wider range of sites and promote earlier engagement in the planning process, with developers encouraged to bring forward potential sites at the pre-application stage. Furthermore, the expiry date on nuclear planning rules will be removed, preventing projects from being timed out. A new Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce will also be established, which will report directly to the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. The Taskforce will spearhead improvements to nuclear regulations and expedite project delivery, including accelerating the approval process of new reactor designs, among other aspects.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced the relaunch of the Net Zero Council, with an expanded membership that includes representatives from civil society and local government. The Council will serve as the primary stakeholder forum supporting the government’s mission to accelerate the UK's transition to net zero. Its remit includes three key functions: providing expert insight to inform the development of the government’s net zero strategy, promoting cross-sector decarbonisation efforts across the economy, and conducting outreach to promote climate leadership within the wider business community.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced a £21.7bn funding commitment to launch the UK's first carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) sites, following a commercial agreement with industry. This funding for two CCUS sites in Teesside and Merseyside, will boost economic growth in the North West and North East of England. These sites will capture CO2 emissions before they enter the atmosphere and store them safely, seeking to remove over 8.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year. The projects are anticipated to directly contribute to the creation of 4,000 jobs, support 50,000 jobs in the long-term, and attract £8bn in private investment, accelerating the UK’s goal of achieving net zero by 2050.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced £300m in funding through Great British Energy (GB Energy) for offshore wind supply chains. The investment, brought forward ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review, forms part of GB Energy's £8.3bn total funding allocation for the current Parliament. The funding aims to support manufacturing facilities for components including floating offshore platforms and cables, complementing £43bn in private investments pledged since July 2024. GB Energy expects to open applications by the end of 2025, with detailed eligibility criteria to be published. The announcement precedes the Future of Energy Security summit, a two-day event hosted by the UK government and International Energy Agency bringing together global leaders to address clean energy transition challenges.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced a £410m investment package to accelerate the development of fusion energy over 2025-26. This funding is intended to support various initiatives, including the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) project and the Fusion Futures programme for skills development and new research and development facilities, among other initiatives. UK Industrial Fusion Solutions (UKIFS) has shortlisted five organisations to become the engineering and construction partners for the STEP project. This project is designed to facilitate the construction of a prototype fusion power plant at the West Burton site in Nottinghamshire, scheduled for completion by 2040. UKIFS plans to conduct detailed discussions with the shortlisted organisations, with contracts expected to be awarded to one engineering and one construction partner by late 2025 or early 2026. The initial contract period will run until 2029, with further phases planned for long-term collaboration. The government also recently announced plans for the UK's first AI Growth Zone to be at the UK Atomic Energy Authority's fusion energy campus in Culham, which will utilise AI advancements to leverage computing power for fusion research.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced a £500m investment to develop the UK’s first regional hydrogen transport and storage network. The network will connect hydrogen producers with end users—such as power stations and industrial facilities—in regions such as Merseyside, Teesside and the Humber. It will further advance low carbon hydrogen production through continued Hydrogen Allocation Rounds (HAR), building on the £2bn in government funding previously awarded to 11 projects under HAR1.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has allocated £630m for energy efficiency upgrades in public buildings, including schools, hospitals and care homes, as part of Phase four of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. The funding covers installations of heat pumps, solar panels, insulation and double glazing. An additional £102m from the Green Heat Network Fund will support heat network developments in England. The programme aims to deliver taxpayer savings of £650m annually until 2037 through reduced energy costs. Major recipients include the University of York (£35m), Liverpool City Region (£30m) and Northumbria NHS Foundation Trust (£14m).

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced £74m in funding for clean energy upgrades across public sector sites, including 82 NHS Trusts, eight military sites and one prison, to cut energy bills and boost efficiency, with savings reinvested into frontline services. The funding will support technologies such as solar panels, batteries, heat pumps and energy-efficient lighting, with DESNZ estimating that nearly 190 NHS sites will save almost £30m a year, while military sites in England and Scotland will achieve annual savings worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. More than £9m of the funding will be delivered in partnership with Great British Energy (GBE) for battery and solar installations, building on GBE’s £255m investment in solar power for hospitals, schools and military sites in 2025. Projects include £1.2m for solar panels at Lincoln County Hospital, £590,000 for battery technology at the Harbour mental health hospital in Blackpool, upgrades at RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Waddington and RAF Marham, and £495,000 for solar panels plus nearly £250,000 for electrical and plumbing works at HMP Channings Wood in Devon, with DESNZ stating that the investment supports the government’s clean power mission and wider energy security goals.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced £9.4bn in funding to support a range of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects as part of the government’s 2025 Spending Review, including the Acorn project in Aberdeenshire and the Viking project in the Humber. This includes £200m in initial development funding for the Acorn project, subject to business case approval. At peak construction, the Acorn and Viking projects are anticipated to support approximately 15,000 and 20,000 jobs respectively, with both projects targeting financial closure later in this Parliament, subject to project readiness and affordability. Once operational, they are expected to collectively remove up to 18 million tonnes of CO₂ annually. The funding will also support the National Gas SCO₂T Connect project, which involves repurposing an existing 175-mile gas pipeline and constructing an additional 35 miles of new build pipeline, to transport CO₂ captured at Grangemouth to storage facilities under the North Sea.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has awarded £55.7m in grant funding through the Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme (FLOWMIS) for the expansion of the Port of Cromarty Firth. This development will make it the first UK port capable of manufacturing floating offshore wind turbines on site and at scale. The port is expected to become operational by early 2028.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced the start of negotiations with six new carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) projects under the Track-1 expansion (T1x) of the HyNet cluster. Published on 5 August 2025, the announcement follows the financial close of the Liverpool Bay Transport and Storage network. The expansion aims to accelerate the UK’s net zero goals and support regional growth and job creation in North West England and North Wales.