The British Energy Security Strategy, published in April 2022, committed the government to setting out "a blueprint for the whole system by the end of 2022 in the Holistic Network Design (HND) and Centralised Strategic Network Plan (CSNP)"1. The strategy states that this work "will be completed by the end of 2022"1. The HND is described as identifying the strategic infrastructure needed to deliver offshore wind by 2030.
The strategy sets an ambition to deliver up to 50GW of offshore wind by 2030, including up to 5GW of innovative floating wind1. It also commits to doubling the ambition for low carbon hydrogen production to up to 10GW by 2030, subject to affordability and value for money, and to increasing plans for civil nuclear deployment to up to 24GW by 20501. On hydrogen blending, the strategy states: "we plan to blend up to 20 per cent hydrogen into the natural gas grid and will take a final decision by the end of next year"1.
"Setting out a blueprint for the whole system by the end of 2022 in the Holistic Network Design (HND) and Centralised Strategic Network Plan (CSNP)"
On household support, the strategy records that the Warm Home Discount would increase to £150 in October and extend its coverage to assist three million people, and that there would be a £200 reduction in energy bills from October for all households in Great Britain through the Energy Bills Support Scheme1. It also records the launch of the £450 million Boiler Upgrade Scheme, the £240 million Net Zero Hydrogen Fund, and the £120 million Future Nuclear Enabling Fund, all in April 20221. The Energy Company Obligation was to be expanded to £1 billion per year from 2022 to 20261.
The strategy set a 2035 date by which the government intends to phase out the sale of new and replacement gas boilers, and committed to zero-rating VAT for the next five years on the installation of energy saving materials, including insulation and low carbon heating1. It also committed to phasing out the use of Russian oil and coal by the end of 2022, and Russian LNG gas imports as soon as possible thereafter1.
| Measure | Figure or date |
|---|---|
| Offshore wind ambition | up to 50GW by 2030 |
| Floating wind | up to 5GW by 2030 |
| Low carbon hydrogen | up to 10GW by 2030 |
| Civil nuclear | up to 24GW by 2050 |
| Warm Home Discount | £150 from October 2022 |
| Energy Bills Support Scheme | £200 reduction from October 2022 |
| Boiler Upgrade Scheme | £450 million |
| Energy Company Obligation | £1 billion per year, 2022 to 2026 |
Why it matters for households
The HND and CSNP concern the wires and pipes that carry power and gas to homes, and the strategy frames the whole programme around reducing dependence on imported oil and gas. For a household, the practical link is that network capacity determines how much of the country's electricity can come from domestic sources such as offshore wind, and how quickly new connections can be made. The strategy states that by 2030, 95 per cent of British electricity could be low-carbon, and that by 2035 the electricity system will have been decarbonised, subject to security of supply1. It also states that without the renewables already on the grid, and the green levies that support them, energy bills would be higher than they are now1. The strategy does not set out what the HND or CSNP will mean for individual household bills or connection costs; those figures have not been reported.
What happens next
The strategy states that the blueprint for the whole system would be set out by the end of 2022 in the HND and CSNP, and that this work "will be completed by the end of 2022"1. A final decision on blending up to 20 per cent hydrogen into the natural gas grid was planned by the end of the following year1. The strategy also records that a comprehensive Energy Advice Service would launch on GOV.UK by summer 20221.
Sources1 cited
- British Energy Security Strategy, data.parliament.uk