Government published the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan

The government published the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan in December 2024, setting out an accelerated timeframe for decarbonising the energy and power sectors. The plan was the strategy for delivering the Labour government's commitment to clean power by 2030, announced the same month¹.

The plan followed a series of legal and policy steps on the UK's legally binding net zero target. In 2019 the government committed to a 100% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 against a 1990 baseline, a target described as net zero and legally binding¹. In July 2022 the English High Court found the 2021 Net Zero Strategy to be "unlawful" and "inadequate" under the Climate Change Act 2008, and the government responded with the March 2023 Carbon Budget Delivery Plan¹. A second High Court challenge in May 2024 found that revised plan unlawful, and the court ruled that a revised plan was needed by 2 May 2025; after the general election was announced, that deadline was extended to October 2025¹.

The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan was supported by several policies and new pieces of legislation, notably the Great British Energy Act, which set up a publicly owned clean power company to accelerate investment in renewable energy¹. The Act received Royal Assent on 15 May 2025¹.

The government published its revised plan for meeting the net zero target, the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, on 29 October 2025, setting out how it would meet the emissions reductions for carbon budgets four to six, covering 2023 to 2037¹. Carbon budgets are a statutory cap on the total greenhouse gas emissions the UK can emit in a five-year period¹.

The Climate Change Committee published its most recent progress report to Parliament on 24 June 2026, focused on the government's delivery plan¹.

"is not moving fast enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect households and businesses from volatile fossil fuel prices"

The committee said the government should adopt a "more ambitious plan to electrify" the country, noting that slow progress in electrification could make it more likely the UK will miss its emissions reductions targets. It concluded the UK could still hit its targets and remain on track for net zero by 2050, but that significant risks could derail progress without urgent policy action¹. The government has not yet responded to the report, but has said it will publish a new delivery plan for the seventh carbon budget¹.

Why it matters for households

The plan and the carbon budgets behind it shape how electricity is generated and how homes are expected to move away from fossil fuels. The Climate Change Committee's warning links slow emissions progress to continued exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices, which feed through to household bills¹. Its call for faster electrification points to the pace at which heating and transport are expected to shift to electricity, a change that determines what a home's energy independence looks like in practice. The committee's assessment that risks remain across all sectors, especially for the sixth carbon budget, indicates that the policy framework supporting that shift is not yet settled¹.

What happens next

The government has said it will publish a new delivery plan setting out how it will meet the emissions reductions required for the seventh carbon budget¹. The seventh carbon budget was agreed in both Houses following parliamentary scrutiny, committing the UK to emissions reductions of 87% from 1990 levels by 2042¹. The government laid secondary legislation before Parliament in June 2026¹. The Climate Change Committee issued its 2026 progress report to Parliament on 24 June 2026, and the government has not yet responded to it¹.

Sources1 cited

1. [](https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9888/CBP-9888.pdf), researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk