UK RENEWABLE SHARE REACHES NEW RECORD
UK ELECTRIC VEHICLE SALES SHOW STRONG GROWTH AS GLOBALLY THE INDUSTRY HITS 1 MILLION SALES
CARTER JONAS GO GREEN TO HELP WITH NET ZERO TARGETS
UK GOVERNMENT CUTS THE RED TAPE ON LARGE SCALE STORAGE PROJECTS
The Government’s push to achieving a Net-Zero economy by 2050 has moved renewable energy performance up the political agenda. As a consequence, the vital function of battery storage in overcoming the intermittency of renewables has come to the fore, as reflected by the announcement last month to increase the threshold of battery storage schemes determined at local level from 50MW up to 200MW. This move, it says, could stimulate the construction of more than 100 new power storage facilities. The announcement means that schemes exceeding 50MW will no longer sit within the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime.
Storage schemes hold surplus renewable energy and release it back to the grid during periods of high demand, helping reduce fossil fuel use and atmospheric pollution. Previous legislation often acted as a constraint to the more extensive projects, as the NSIP regime is typically more costly and time consuming than applications determined at a local level and, as such, most being progressed were within the 50MW threshold. With these new measures in place, applications for more substantial schemes can be made to local planning authorities rather than to the Secretary of State.
This should help accelerate the application process for larger projects as well as reducing the overall timescales for delivery, which will ultimately help us meet our Net-Zero targets and at a faster pace. The UK currently has 1GW of battery capacity with another 4GW of capacity being planned.
Carter Jonas has achieved planning consent for multiple battery storage schemes under the 50MW threshold and are looking forward to progressing opportunities on a larger scale now the route to market has been made simpler. The Carter Jonas Energy Team is currently managing energy storage projects in excess of 1GW.
For more information on the changes, please contact Clare Davey on 07584 68203 or email clare.davey@carterjonas.co.uk
THE UK ENERGY MARKET
The UK energy market outlook remains uncertain but markets are becoming increasingly volatile which could eventually push prices up over the next few months especially with rising consumption levels across UK and the rest of Europe.
Any businesses interested in advice on how current markets will impact their energy contract and/or Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), should get in touch with Helen Melling, Energy Specialist at Carter Jonas.
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