Winds of Change: How we’re supporting more renewables for the UK

Earlier this year, we asked 10,000 people across the UK for their views on net zero and the energy transition. Overwhelmingly, they told us that more should be done to tackle the climate crisis and upgrade the ways we make and use energy. 

We agree, and that’s why we welcome the new government’s plans for Great British Energy, as well as all the benefits that a renewable-focused approach to energy generation can bring: 

• Lower emissions and greater protection for the natural environment. 
• Cheaper bills for customers, with the government pledging annual savings of £300 per household by 2030. 
• Greater energy security and lessened reliance on foreign suppliers to meet energy demand. 

Great British Energy made its first major announcement on July 25th, hailing a deal with the Crown Estate to lease land for offshore windfarms. This follows the government’s welcome lifting of the ban on new onshore projects earlier in the month, and could lead to offshore projects capable of generating between 20GW and 30GW being ready to lease by the end of the decade. 

We’re proud of our legacy with UK renewables. We built one of the UK’s first wind farms in Anglesey in 1992 and have been supporting renewables with billions of pounds of investment in the UK ever since. That’s why we’re excited to see Great British Energy unlock even more potential in the coming years, and look forward to supporting new clean energy projects as part of our shared mission for a more sustainable future. 

Working with renewable generators for a sustainable future 

We currently have Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with dozens of wind power generators ranging from single-turbine operations to enormous offshore farms producing terawatts of electricity to meet the UK’s needs. 

These agreements allow us to provide green, cheap, reliable electricity to our customers, but they also help us accelerate the net zero transition by supporting renewable generators and other clean energy stakeholders. Every wind PPA we sign has the potential to: 

• Provide a renewable generator with a long-lasting route to market. 
• Help underwrite the building of new renewable assets. 
• Give financial security to existing assets, keeping them operational by covering maintenance and other capital expenditure costs. 
• Make renewables a viable and attractive option by ensuring that investing in them pays off. 

This is a virtuous circle, because the more renewable energy sources come online, the less influential oil and gas will become in the market. Instead of following unpredictable economic and geopolitical events, prices will increasingly be subject to factors such as weather and time of day, and with a diverse portfolio of assets covering wind, solar, battery storage, and other options, the UK’s energy market will be less vulnerable to potentially calamitous disruptions such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

Ultimately, by working with renewable energy generators in the UK, we are providing our customers with cheaper, more reliable energy, and helping the country achieve both energy security and net zero. 

Supporting renewables, now and in the future 

This year, the UK produced more energy from wind than fossil fuels in two consecutive quarters, and according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) combined offshore and onshore wind is set to be 61.4% cheaper than natural gas in 2025. 

As GB Energy picks up pace, and the government pursues its ambition to halve the time needed to bring new wind farms online, we look forward to supporting these and other renewable assets in the coming years with an eye to bringing greener, cheaper, and more reliable energy to UK homes and businesses. 

Find out more about how we’re working to make the UK a clean energy superpower here.