Choose a sustainable future

An independent statutory body with the powers and resource to oversee the delivery of UK energy objectives and binding net zero commitments

• Consensus and long-term planning is required to deliver security and affordable energy which creates high skilled jobs while achieving our climate goals
• This body would provide oversight to integrate industrial strategy, net-zero delivery, and economic growth, retaining the UK’s climate leadership position

An industrial strategy, for the length and breadth of the UK, which leverages our world class supply chain

• Establish appropriate and clear signposts to net-zero for industry which provide indicators for investors in all offshore energy and manufacturing activities, allowing the market to respond efficiently.
• Deliver an integrated, long-term industrial strategy which recognises the strengths of the UK’s energy supply chain and makes the most of existing capabilities, supported by existing and future industrial heartlands.
  • Attracting anticipatory investment to make the most of the scale of opportunities presented by the energy transition.
  • Working with industries to expand the domestic capability and capacity including locally sourced technology targets. This sector is committed to delivering 50% or greater local content across the energy landscape.
  • As part of the industrial strategy, we need a unified export strategy that reflects the UK’s capabilities and long-term industrial aspirations.
• There are many companies in the existing energy economy that we can leverage the capabilities of for the benefit of the UK – there must be a continued focus on growing UK companies from SMEs to large plcs.
• Establish an overarching industry supply chain champion who would integrate government and industry initiatives to build a competitive energy supply chain that maximises opportunity across wind, hydrogen, and CCS.
• Remain committed to the UK being a decommissioning centre of excellence to ensure we can maximise the spend in the UK in the short term and export these capabilities internationally over the medium term.
• Promote collaborative commercial behaviours across all sectors of the energy economy, prioritising established good practice such as the existing OEUK Supply Chain Principles

Prioritise investment in strategic infrastructure

• Develop a strategic approach to meet the UK’s infrastructure requirements, including upgrading ports, transmission systems, interconnectors, storage, rail networks, grids, and other facilitating infrastructure.
• Central to the longer-term planning of the energy transition clusters, policy must deliver national and local infrastructure such as rail networks, roads, digital connectivity, and housing stock
  Targeted investment in improving energy network capacity, with a focus on reducing the time taken for a new grid connection from 15 years to seven years by prioritising projects that are ready to go.
• Commit to rapid delivery of the key findings of the Winser Review Report to accelerate the deployment of the electricity transmission infrastructure.
• Continue momentum offered by opportunities such as Project Union to enable a national hydrogen infrastructure, repurposing existing where possible and increasing connectivity across the whole of the UK.
• Support the development of UK gas storage, which can also be repurposed as future hydrogen storage sites. This will help ensure continuity of supplies and help protect consumers from gas market price volatility.
• Support ports’ competitiveness by making the UK’s terrestrial and marine planning system fit for purpose and supportive of an ambitious and optimistic sector.
• Accelerate planning processes for ports including developing partnership between industry, ports, and government.
• Scale up regulatory and consenting capacity across the UK so that ports and infrastructure owners have certainty around timelines and likely outcomes from licensing and consenting processes.
• Government should continue to recognise the effective stewardship of UK infrastructure to deliver energy security and net-zero.

Embedding robust and effective energy regulation and oversight

• To increase grid capacity and remove barriers, the Future System Operator should be given delegated powers and resource to deliver Transmission Acceleration and Connections Action Plans to agreed timelines.
• Embed a shared set of objectives across all regulators in line with UK energy policy, avoiding barriers to an integrated approach to energy
• Ensure any new policy relating to the marine environment, including allocation of highly protected marine areas, considers the existing stringent regulatory regime and energy security priorities.
• As the UK continues to decommission legacy oil and gas assets, regulatory and treaty decisions should be made in a timely manner with full consideration of impacts to the UK such as those under OSPAR 98/3.
• Give port masterplans a greater role in the wider planning system, such as linking them with local plans.

Choose a homegrown energy transition

Contribute to an energy transition which leaves no individual, community, or sector behind.

Choose a skilled future

Protect over 200,000 high value jobs in the UK whilst growing the skilled and diverse workforce of the future.

Choose a secure future

Deliver £200 billion of private investment over the next decade, spurring economic growth and fostering UK technology and innovation across the energy mix.

Choose a sustainable future

Meet the UK’s net-zero commitment by 2050 or sooner, decarbonising offshore energy production to power homes and businesses across the breadth of the UK.