The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) published a policy paper setting out the scheme design for bill discounts for households closest to new and significantly upgraded electricity transmission infrastructure. The paper expands on the government's earlier scheme design response and covers eligibility, scheme administration, payment arrangements, compliance and funding.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published the second part of its response to its consultation on proposed refinements to the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme for Allocation Round 8 and future allocation rounds, confirming changes to be implemented before the round opens in July 2026.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published a section 35 direction under the Planning Act 2008 (PA 2008), issued by the Secretary of State, for the Humber Hydrogen Pipeline project. Proposed by Humber Hydrogen Transmission System Ltd—a partnership between Equinor, SSE Thermal and Centrica Energy Storage, the project will involve the construction of an approximately 50km long hydrogen pipeline to facilitate the transport of low carbon hydrogen between production, storage and usage sites in the Humber region. After reviewing the direction request submitted on 29 April 2025, the Secretary of State concluded that the proposed project is nationally significant and directed that it be treated as a development requiring consent under PA 2008.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published a series of reports on future projections of water resource and demand in the UK. The collection comprises four reports addressing the analysis of outputs, hydrological modelling and artificial influences, stakeholder engagement, as well as approaches to construct scenarios of future water demand.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published a statement from the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, detailing his key priorities following his appointment on 5 July 2024. He stated that DESNZ will lead one of the Prime Minister’s five national missions, which includes making Britain a clean energy superpower with zero carbon electricity by 2030 and accelerating the path to net zero.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published a statement of strategic priorities for Great British Energy (GBE), setting out the Secretary of State's strategic direction and priorities for the publicly-owned company in accordance with section 5 of the GBE Act 2025 and detailing how it will drive clean energy deployment across the UK. The statement identifies three key focus areas: (1) investing in and developing emerging and established technologies and assets needed for Clean Power 2030 and beyond; (2) strengthening domestic supply chains to build long-term resilience and economic growth; and (3) supporting the expansion of local and community energy, working with government to deliver a Local Power Plan that ensures communities benefit from the clean energy transition. GBE will produce a strategic plan within six months, outlining how it will deliver on these objectives. The government has also set a target for GBE to begin generating returns from its commercial activities by 2030 and to have a self-financing plan in place by then, with profits reinvested into clean energy projects.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published a statement on Great British Energy (GBE)’s mandate and activities as a publicly owned energy developer. The statement details how GBE will collaborate with the National Wealth Fund, highlighting the distinct roles of both entities, and provides an overview of GBE’s position within the UK’s public investment framework.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published a stocktake report on the progress made by 2023 in developing regulations and standards for 100% hydrogen combustion equipment in the industry and power sectors. Conducted in early 2024, the stocktake aimed to improve understanding of ongoing efforts, identify regulatory gaps, and facilitate knowledge sharing. Key findings revealed that standards bodies are actively revising and developing relevant standards, with the GSE/5 Hydrogen Coordinating Committee developing a hydrogen roadmap to identify available standards and priority gaps. The Environment Agency, in collaboration with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Natural Resources Wales, and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, is working on guidance for emission limit values for hydrogen combustion. The stocktake emphasises the importance of accredited conformity assessment and the need to balance greenhouse gas emissions reduction with the overall impact on air pollution. It also calls for government funding to support the review and publication of hydrogen-specific standards.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published guidance introducing Smart Meter Enabled Thermal Efficiency Ratings (SMETER) and explaining how social housing providers, local and combined authorities, housing associations and other landlords in England can use the technology to improve the delivery of energy efficiency measures. The guidance explains that SMETER measures the thermal performance of occupied homes using smart meter, temperature and weather data to calculate a building's heat transfer coefficient (HTC), providing a measure of actual heat loss that complements Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). It states that this can help identify poorly performing homes, prioritise retrofit activity, select appropriate measures, size heating systems more accurately and verify whether retrofit works have delivered the intended outcomes.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published a document, outlining the subsidy amount estimates for Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 6 (AR6) on the Subsidy Control Transparency Database. The estimates, based on the 'valuation formula' from the AR6 Allocation Framework, are rounded to the nearest £5m for individual projects and to the nearest £5bn for the total subsidy amount for the round. DESNZ emphasises that actual subsidy amounts may vary from these estimates due to factors such as future wholesale prices and project-specific electricity generation.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published a summary of responses to its consultation on the evolution of regulation to support offshore CO2 storage. This follows a call for evidence that ran between 6 August 2025 and 31 October 2025. The call for evidence drew responses from a broad range of stakeholders, including transport and storage companies, trade associations and industry bodies, and capture projects or prospective network users, and highlighted a strong view that CO2 storage will act as a natural monopoly in the early market because of high capital costs, geographic constraints and cross-chain risks. Respondents broadly saw the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model as critical for early deployment, while agreeing that it should evolve as the market matures. They also noted that any move away from RAB would bring both opportunities and risks and should be carefully sequenced and grounded in evidence. Competition was seen as possible only over the longer term and likely to create value only in a mature market, while transitional government support, risk-sharing mechanisms and clear, predictable regulation were all viewed as necessary to build investor confidence, unlock investment and enable efficient financing. The government and Ofgem will use this evidence to guide future policy and regulatory decisions for offshore CO2 storage, while continuing to work closely with industry.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published a summary of responses to its September 2024 consultation on the regulation of Third-Party Intermediaries (TPIs) in the retail energy market. The consultation received 85 responses from various stakeholders, including energy brokers, price comparison websites, auto-switchers and industry bodies. Respondents expressed strong support for direct regulation of the market to improve transparency, protect consumers and create a more trustworthy and competitive TPIs market. DESNZ intends to issue a full response to the consultation later in 2025.