UK set to miss decarbonised energy targets at current annual build rate

The company warns that the pace of new build and the complexity of the challenge means decarbonising power by 2035 may no longer be a credible ambition for the UK.

The average annual build rate for the last five years was 3.2GW/year, but Atkins forecasts a requirement for 16GW of new generation annually to meet the latest 2035 target.

The highest UK annual build rate was recorded in 2017, with 6.5GW of gas and renewable generation brought online, which is less than half of what must now be built each year, according to Atkins. To replace ageing power plants and ensure enough generation is built to meet peak demand requirements, the UK needs to build 159GW–203GW of new generating assets by 2035.

In a statement, David Cole, market director for Net Zero Energy, Atkins, said: “This is an unprecedented build rate to meet an unprecedented challenge: in just over 12 years, we need to build a net zero power system potentially twice the size of the UK’s current capacity, including not only generation but also grid infrastructure, energy storage and the data management capabilities to facilitate the ‘smart grid’. This is an incredibly ambitious target that pushes the boundaries of feasibility. We must review delivery in terms of credible ambition.”