
Breadcrumbs
Clean power by 2035 to meet climate targets says National Grid
Less than 1% unabated fossil fuels and at least 80% wind and solar in the power mix required
FES 2021 adds to a growing consensus on the necessary timeline for UK power sector decarbonisation. All of National Grid ESO’s net-zero scenarios rely on an effectively fully decarbonised power sector by 2035 to reach net-zero by 2050, which closely aligns with recommendations from the CCC’s Sixth Carbon Budget. There are slight differences: FES scenarios retain some unabated gas capacity on the grid in 2035 (and beyond), whereas the CCC calls for a complete phase-out of unabated gas power (subject to meeting security of supply) in the same time frame. However, the electricity generation from the remaining unabated gas in 2035 is negligible in the FES scenarios, reaffirming the emerging consensus that net-zero by 2050 means a decarbonised power system by 2035.
Although the FES 2021 scenarios are not predictions of what will happen, they are credible projections that show a 2035 clean power sector could happen. The IPCC’s report released this week has underlined the urgency with which we must tackle climate change. As the UK prepares to host this year’s pivotal COP26 talks, it can catalyse a global gas phase-out by making a firm commitment to clean power by 2035, just as the UK coal phase-out began an international trend. At home, the clean power commitment can accelerate the green industrial revolution and technological innovation that will take the country to net zero.
Less than 1% unabated fossil fuels and at least 80% wind and solar in the power mix required to meet UK climate targets in National Grid’s new analysis.