Clean Power 2030 builds stability by cutting import reliance

This report by Ember analyzes the impact of the UK government's Clean Power 2030 Action Plan on energy import reliance. It finds that while the plan significantly reduces gas imports for electricity generation, the wider UK economy remains vulnerable due to continued reliance on imported oil for transport and gas for domestic heating. The report argues that comprehensive electrification of heating and transport is necessary to fully stabilize energy bills and enhance national energy security.

• The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan is estimated to reduce gas imports for electricity generation by 57% (approximately 53 TWh) by 2030. This is driven by a target to lower the proportion of gas used in power generation from 28% in 2024 to below 5% by 2030.
• UK domestic oil and gas production is in long-term decline, with a 68% drop recorded between 2003 and 2023. Consequently, import reliance for gas is forecast to increase from 45% in 2023 to over 75% by 2030, and oil import reliance is projected to rise from 44% in 2023 to 60% by 2030.
• Biomass power generation is heavily dependent on imports, with 95% of wood pellets used in large-scale production being imported. While the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan does not explicitly target biomass, a February 2025 government decision on subsidies for the Drax power station is expected to cap annual subsidies to half their current level and reduce total biomass generation.
• Electrifying domestic heating would significantly reduce import reliance compared to gas boilers. By 2030, a heat pump is forecast to rely on 83% fewer imports than a gas boiler, using 1 MWh of imported primary energy compared to 6.1 MWh of imported gas for a boiler.
• Transport fuels represent the largest component of household energy expenditure, totaling £33bn across all households in 2023. Electrification of transport could reduce the import reliance of the power used to charge electric vehicles from 47% currently to approximately 20% under a Clean Power 2030 system.
• Interconnectors with neighboring countries provide a stabilizing effect on power prices and allow the UK to balance variable renewable generation. The UK imports an average of 5% of its yearly electricity supply (2013-2023) and is forecast to become a net exporter of electricity by 2030.

APA

Mayo, F. (2025). Clean Power 2030 builds stability by cutting import reliance. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/02/Clean-Power-2030-builds-stability-by-cutting-import-reliance.pdf

Chicago

Mayo, Frankie. Clean Power 2030 builds stability by cutting import reliance. Ember, 2025. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/02/Clean-Power-2030-builds-stability-by-cutting-import-reliance.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mayo |first1=Frankie |title=Clean Power 2030 builds stability by cutting import reliance |publisher=Ember |date=3 March 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/02/Clean-Power-2030-builds-stability-by-cutting-import-reliance.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mayo2025clean, author = {Mayo, Frankie}, title = {{Clean Power 2030 builds stability by cutting import reliance}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/02/Clean-Power-2030-builds-stability-by-cutting-import-reliance.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }