April was another busy month in the Net Zero and energy sectors, with significant policy signals from the government and a suite of industry milestones. While headlines have been dominated by broader economic and electoral themes, there were some key announcements relevant to energy system transformation and decarbonisation. A summary of the most notable developments include:
Government Policies and Initiatives
Grid Reform sees off ‘First Come, First Served’ connections queue
On the 15th of April, Ofgem granted a green light to the TM04+ Grid Reform Package, which moved from a ‘first come, first served’ process to a ‘first ready, first needed, first served’ basis. Strategic alignment with Clean Power 2030 will form a large part of the definition of ‘first needed’, ensuring that projects meet current and future needs. This change will have significant changes for battery storage schemes as well as new generation sites.
These changes are expected to support faster deployment of renewables by freeing up over 50GW of grid capacity through the removal of zombie projects and enhancing investment confidence in projects with realistic connection timelines. Stakeholders have welcomed the reforms as a necessary step to overcome longstanding grid bottlenecks.
Amendments to the 2030 phase-out date for new internal combustion engine cars and the ZEV Mandate
On the 6th of April, the government announced that the 2030 phase-out date for new petrol cars is being reinstated, after it was delayed to 2035 by the Sunak government in October 2023. Whilst the return date has been praised, the government will now allow plug-in hybrid vehicles to be sold until 2035. The government also announced that the flagship Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate, which sets incremental sales volumes on EVs in the run up to 2030, will have fines and requirements relaxed in the run up to 2030.
£300 Million Investment for GB Energy and Smart Electricity Systems
On the 18th of April, the government confirmed a £300 million funding package of investment through GB Energy, which will allow it to invest in new supply chains for offshore wind manufacturing components such as floating offshore platforms and cables. The investment has been welcomed by industry, but all eyes are on the upcoming Spending Review in late Spring, and what positive news there could be for the energy sector, after it was left out of the Spring statement in March.
Statutory Consultation Changes in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill was introduced to parliament last month, with a series of measures intended to streamline infrastructure development. Clean infrastructure has a heavy emphasis in the Bill, and is a key component of the government’s Clean Power 2030 goals. The Bill, which is now in the committee stage, was amended on the 23rd of April with a measure to scrap statutory consultation requirements for major infrastructure projects. The government predicts scrapping these requirements will reduce the average two-year pre-consultation period by half for wind farms and other large projects. However, the move has been controversial, with the Wildlife Trust arguing the changes reduce opportunities for early expert input, which would have detrimental environmental impacts.
Cap and Floor Scheme Confirmed for Long-Duration Energy Storage
On the 8th April, DESNZ and Ofgem jointly published details of the final design for the Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) cap-and-floor scheme and opened its first application window.
The LDES scheme will underpin up to 6 GW of capacity and provide developers with a minimum return, while capping excessive profits. This is seen as a major milestone in enabling storage technologies like compressed air, pumped hydro, and liquid air energy storage to play a stable grid balancing and system flexibility. Ofgem aim to approve the first allocation round projects in Q2 2026.
Smart and Secure Electricity Systems Programme consultation response published
On the 23rd April, the government published the long-awaited consultation response to the Smart Secure Electricity Systems Programme implementation. The government announced plans related to Energy Smart Appliances (ESAs), Load Control Licensing, Tarriff Interoperability and Enduring Governance.
The government committed to introduce two pieces of legislation covering ESAs in the next two years. One intends to introduce a smart mandate for electric heating products, and the other will define minimum smart capability requirements on smart electric heating appliances and domestic battery storage systems. The latter would also adjust the 2021 regulations, which place a smart mandate on new private EV charge points, incorporating them into the same legislation. The government also announced that it would consult this year on governance models, draft regulations of load control licensing and minimum viable product tariff data standards.
Industry updates
UK Hosts Global Clean Energy Security Summit
On the 24th and 25th April, the UK hosted the first-ever Global Energy Security Summit, bringing together energy ministers and senior officials from over 60 countries.
The conference covered a swathe of topics, including secure mineral supply chains, the role of clean energy in national security strategies, and international cooperation on grid interconnection.
Milestones for 100,000 public chargers on roads and 1 million EVs
On the 23rd of April, Octopus Energy published a new Charging Infrastructure Insights report showing that the UK has met the major milestone of over 100,000 public EV charge points installed across the UK. The report announced that almost one-quarter of these were ultra-rapid chargers. This positive news was complemented by new data later in the month from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, showing that EVs on the road have passed the one-million car milestone in 2024, after a significant growth rate of 38.9% from 2023 to reach 1.33 million cars.
Looking Ahead
April saw a slew of long-awaited announcements for which the industry had waited for answers for several years. The SSES consultation response, confirmation of the final form of grid connection reforms and the details of the LDES have provided clarity on several landmark programmes. The month of May promises to keep up this momentum, with the GB Energy Bill nearing its final stages and the committee report for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill expected to be returned to the House of Commons.
