The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce's interim report, which identifies regulatory barriers to nuclear development. Published following DESNZ's April 2025 call for evidence, the report calls for radical reform to address these barriers, while maintaining the highest safety standards and accelerating project timelines. It describes current regulatory processes as unnecessarily complex, inefficient and costly. The taskforce's final report, expected in autumn 2025, will focus on six priority areas: addressing risk-averse culture, streamlining complex and inconsistent regulations, updating planning frameworks for emerging nuclear technologies, maintaining workforce expertise, increasing international regulatory standardisation, and improving regulatory understanding of the costs of project delays to ensure safety measures remain proportionate. The taskforce also recommends that work on a strategic steer for nuclear safety begin immediately, with DESNZ recommended to publish a draft for consultation alongside the final report. DESNZ has identified additional questions requiring stakeholder input and is inviting new responses and comments by 8 September 2025.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published an update outlining policy reforms to the Offshore Transmission Owner (OFTO) regime, following its 2023–2024 Call for Evidence. The changes include a new 132kV array transmission licence class exemption which allows offshore wind farms to use higher-voltage 132kV cabling without needing to divest these as part of offshore transmission assets and an extension of the Generator Commissioning Clause (GCC) from 18 to 27 months, a measure included in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill currently before Parliament.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), the Scottish Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive have published their joint response to the Renewables Obligation (RO) scheme indexation consultation and confirmed the decision to change the inflation indexation from the Retail Price Index (RPI) to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This change will take effect for the 2026–27 compliance year, beginning in April 2026 and the RO buy-out price will be adjusted annually in line with CPI.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published a designation notice from the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, detailing his designation of certain energy codes and central systems as qualifying documents and central systems for the purposes of schedule 12 of the Energy Act 2023 (EnA 2023). This designation will allow Ofgem to utilise its transitional powers to implement energy code governance reform.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published a Solar Roadmap outlining over 70 actions to support the deployment of 45–47 GW of solar capacity across the UK by 2030. Key measures include: (1) streamlining the grid connection process for solar projects; (2) strengthening the solar supply chain to ensure it is resilient, diverse and sustainable; (3) reaffirming the government’s commitment to eradicating modern slavery and forced labour; and (4) introducing proposals for mandatory community benefit funds for local areas provided by developers. The Roadmap sets out a strategic framework for expanding solar deployment across homes, businesses and public infrastructure, while supporting energy affordability and economic growth. It also presents the final conclusions of the Solar Taskforce, which re-convened in autumn 2024.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published a policy overview of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS), detailing recent developments and upcoming changes. The overview outlines the UK ETS' role in UK decarbonisation, its policy objectives, operational framework and the approach of the UK ETS Authority in developing the scheme. The document confirms plans to expand the scheme to maritime transport from July 2026 and waste incineration from 2028, alongside plans to integrate greenhouse gas removals by 2029. Following the May 2025 UK-EU agreement to work towards linking their respective ETSs, DESNZ confirms it will conclude its free allocation review by the end of 2025. The overview also covers consultations on extending the scheme's cap beyond 2030 and adjusting free allocation rules for sectors covered by the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (UK CBAM), which is set to take effect in January 2027.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published the UK fossil fuel incentives and subsidies inventory and concept note, as part of the UK’s commitments within the Coalition on Phasing Out Fossil Fuel Incentives, including Subsidies (COFFIS). The inventory reaffirms the UK’s commitment to phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies through domestic policy and international agreements, while allowing temporary support during crises. It describes ongoing fiscal arrangements for oil and gas, the completed phase-out of coal power and restrictions on overseas fossil fuel financing. It also details broader measures supporting affordability, competitiveness and energy security.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published its UK Fusion Strategy 2026, setting out a comprehensive national plan to accelerate the commercialisation of fusion energy and to strengthen the UK’s position as a global leader in the field. The strategy establishes a clear objective to accelerate the growth of the fusion industry by developing a globally competitive supply chain, advancing UK-based power plant design and systems integration capabilities, and demonstrating commercial viability through the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) prototype fusion plant. DESNZ indicates that this will be pursued in partnership with the private sector, with a view to capturing both near-term economic benefits, such as innovation and job creation and longer-term gains associated with a potential global fusion market estimated at between £3tn and £12tn.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published the final estimates of UK greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2022. For ease of reporting DESNZ has allocated greenhouse gas emissions into the following Territorial Emissions Statistics sectors: electricity supply, fuel supply, domestic transport, buildings and product uses, industry, agriculture, waste, and land use land use change and forestry. The statistics confirm that the UK has cut emissions by 50% between 1990 and 2022. This makes the UK the first major economy to halve its emissions while also growing its economy by 79%. DESNZ has also reported that the UK has over-achieved on the third carbon budget target in a row.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published a regulatory study examining the UK framework governing the supply of medical radioisotopes. Produced under the Medical Radionuclide Innovation Programme (MRIP), the report aims to develop an understanding of the roles and requirements of the radiological and civil nuclear safety regulatory bodies within the radiopharmaceutical supply chain. The study was written by the key regulators: Environment Agency (EA), Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). It analyses how responsibilities are distributed across environmental, health and safety and nuclear regulators, and how requirements vary depending on whether activities take place on a nuclear licensed site and the nature of the radioactive materials involved. The regulators conclude that the existing framework is broadly suitable to support current and future medical radionuclide production, including emerging technologies such as particle accelerators, research reactors and extraction from legacy waste, but identify areas requiring further consideration, including the interface between ONR and HSE in determining licensing requirements, the implications of the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2019, SI 2019/703 (REPPIR 2019), and the impact of novel radionuclides on waste management and environmental permitting.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published its Warm Homes Plan, a policy designed to deliver £15bn of public investment to upgrade up to five million homes and lift as many as one million families out of fuel poverty by 2030. The plan comprises three main components. First, it provides £5bn in direct support for low-income households, which includes fully funded installations. Second, it offers government-backed zero- and low-interest loans for solar panels and heat pumps, supplemented by a universal £7,500 heat pump grant. Third, it introduces updated protections for renters that require landlords to invest in energy efficiency upgrades.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published the government response to the consultation on improving boiler standards and efficiency. The consultation ran from 13 December 2022 to 21 March 2023, and received 195 responses. DESNZ plans to implement most of the proposals, through an update to ecodesign and energy labelling regulations, which would apply in Great Britain.