Atkins report shows UK slipping on energy targets

According to the Countdown to 2035 report, 15.5GW of new capacity is needed each year for the UK to remain on track. This is up from the June 2022 figure, which placed the required build rate at 14GW per annum.

Due to a combination of ageing power plants being retired from service and increased electrification of transport, industry and domestic heating, AtkinsRéalis estimates a total of 187GW of new capacity must be built to meet the 2035 target. For context, just 4.5GW was added to the grid in 2022, with the annual record for new capacity standing at 6.5GW, set in 2017.

The report also warns of the compound effect failing to ramp up the build rate for new energy infrastructure. If the UK achieves a 15 per cent increase each year, the peak build rate would be 25GW/year by 2035: roughly five times the 2022 rate. However, if the build rate increases by just 10 per cent, the required peak build rate by 2035 would be 40GW – the equivalent of 30 of the UK’s largest offshore wind farms in a single year, or 12 Hinkley or Sizewell C-scale nuclear plants.