{"id":310399,"date":"2024-03-19T21:25:03","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T20:25:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=310399"},"modified":"2024-03-19T21:25:06","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T20:25:06","slug":"britains-energy-system-will-not-hit-net-zero-until-2035-national-grid-tells-labour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=310399","title":{"rendered":"Britain\u2019s energy system will not hit net zero until 2035, National Grid tells Labour"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accelerated timeline for a carbon neutral grid would weigh more heavily on bill payers.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Britain\u2019s electricity networks will not hit net zero until 2035, National Grid has said, undermining a key pledge by Labour<\/a> to hit that target by 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) on Monday set out plans for a massive \u00a358bn expansion of the UK\u2019s high-voltage transmission network, including thousands of new electricity pylons, substations and other infrastructure spread across the countryside. The Telegraph<\/a> has the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project is designed to make the UK\u2019s power networks carbon neutral. However, ESO said this goal would not be reached until 2035 under current plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This fits with government targets but not with Labour\u2019s, placing ESO in the front line of a key pre-election battle over energy policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deadline prompted a backlash from Ed Miliband, the shadow energy secretary, who said a Labour government would make ESO accelerate its programme<\/a> to hit the 2030 target. A spokesman said: \u201cWe said 2030 for decarbonising the grid and we meant it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Miliband is expected to repeat the pledge in a speech to the Green Alliance environmental pressure group on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Targeting Conservative voters worried about the Government\u2019s climate and energy policies<\/a>, he will set out Labour plans to \u201cend 14 years of high energy bills and energy insecurity under the Conservatives with a national mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho accused Mr Miliband of \u201csniping from the sidelines\u201d while having no plan to pay for its \u201cunfunded spending sprees\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added: \u201cEd Miliband still cannot say how Labour will pay for its 2030 decarbonisation pledge\u2026 this mad 2030 promise is not based on what industry or consumers want. It would see costs explode, higher taxes on working people and take us back to square one on the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked if Labour\u2019s 2030 target was feasible, a National Grid ESO spokesman suggested it \u201ccould be possible\u201d to decarbonise the grid by 96-98pc by the end of the decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, analysts warn that decarbonising the grid by 2035, let alone 2030, remains a huge and expensive challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tom Faulkner, head of infrastructure and networks at Cornwall Insight, said: \u201cThe 2035 forecasts for wind and solar capacity outlined in the [ESO] report are notably ambitious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAchieving these targets will demand substantial investment, not only in grid infrastructure but also in the renewable generation assets themselves. It\u2019s imperative to recognise the challenges ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the full story here<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Britain\u2019s electricity networks will not hit net zero until 2035, National Grid has said, undermining\u00a0a key pledge by Labour\u00a0to hit that target by 2030.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":310402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691827705,691827704,691818247,691818154,691819094],"class_list":{"0":"post-310399","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-energy-insecurity","9":"tag-high-energy-bills","10":"tag-national-grid","11":"tag-net-zero","12":"tag-renewable-green-energy","14":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/0net-zero-istock-1190148959.jpg?fit=2048%2C1299&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1iKr","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":414920,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=414920","url_meta":{"origin":310399,"position":0},"title":"Britain threatened by gas shortages as North Sea output plummets","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"27\/11\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Britain faces the risk of severe gas shortages as\u00a0plummeting North Sea production\u00a0leaves the country dangerously reliant on imports, the UK grid operator has warned.","rel":"","context":"In \"energy industry\"","block_context":{"text":"energy industry","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=energy-industry"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQOMMwvE3fwJcJ_AywWXlQsg6pAonaGrhWv7-6Ptu_ij9jf4drGAZ0XGiU7Tc51T6wC2R8C2sSFMtYmwHCK3N6Jk8shMVYICNuKNw5QCu_Uda1oPdaZcph4BJGeDPBK5kjAvc8aDPMzvezOJgG6YXySVWkqBRQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQOMMwvE3fwJcJ_AywWXlQsg6pAonaGrhWv7-6Ptu_ij9jf4drGAZ0XGiU7Tc51T6wC2R8C2sSFMtYmwHCK3N6Jk8shMVYICNuKNw5QCu_Uda1oPdaZcph4BJGeDPBK5kjAvc8aDPMzvezOJgG6YXySVWkqBRQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQOMMwvE3fwJcJ_AywWXlQsg6pAonaGrhWv7-6Ptu_ij9jf4drGAZ0XGiU7Tc51T6wC2R8C2sSFMtYmwHCK3N6Jk8shMVYICNuKNw5QCu_Uda1oPdaZcph4BJGeDPBK5kjAvc8aDPMzvezOJgG6YXySVWkqBRQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQOMMwvE3fwJcJ_AywWXlQsg6pAonaGrhWv7-6Ptu_ij9jf4drGAZ0XGiU7Tc51T6wC2R8C2sSFMtYmwHCK3N6Jk8shMVYICNuKNw5QCu_Uda1oPdaZcph4BJGeDPBK5kjAvc8aDPMzvezOJgG6YXySVWkqBRQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQOMMwvE3fwJcJ_AywWXlQsg6pAonaGrhWv7-6Ptu_ij9jf4drGAZ0XGiU7Tc51T6wC2R8C2sSFMtYmwHCK3N6Jk8shMVYICNuKNw5QCu_Uda1oPdaZcph4BJGeDPBK5kjAvc8aDPMzvezOJgG6YXySVWkqBRQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":419988,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=419988","url_meta":{"origin":310399,"position":1},"title":"Electrical equipment shortage threatens net zero, Hitachi warns Ed\u00a0Miliband","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/01\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Hitachi Energy, a major manufacturer of high-voltage transformers and other critical grid equipment, has warned that a severe shortage of electrical components could prevent the UK from expanding its power grid quickly enough to meet the government's ambitious clean power by 2030 target. This warning, reported in The Telegraph on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"electricity producers\"","block_context":{"text":"electricity producers","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=electricity-producers"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQN29P7CjbSMQQyu8rthF5V1DYr2WS3ryGyYHCQNQYC54xJQODJG1xVd3GQdnwC994l-I-bAY6s-GFGbuAaRDZpY84tq0jPSjCJIgDGnOGk5iguHIi2zHA6-cEVdch-KTCKr0ZzsAk1R06HJwAgf6YDi8pGnYw.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQN29P7CjbSMQQyu8rthF5V1DYr2WS3ryGyYHCQNQYC54xJQODJG1xVd3GQdnwC994l-I-bAY6s-GFGbuAaRDZpY84tq0jPSjCJIgDGnOGk5iguHIi2zHA6-cEVdch-KTCKr0ZzsAk1R06HJwAgf6YDi8pGnYw.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQN29P7CjbSMQQyu8rthF5V1DYr2WS3ryGyYHCQNQYC54xJQODJG1xVd3GQdnwC994l-I-bAY6s-GFGbuAaRDZpY84tq0jPSjCJIgDGnOGk5iguHIi2zHA6-cEVdch-KTCKr0ZzsAk1R06HJwAgf6YDi8pGnYw.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQN29P7CjbSMQQyu8rthF5V1DYr2WS3ryGyYHCQNQYC54xJQODJG1xVd3GQdnwC994l-I-bAY6s-GFGbuAaRDZpY84tq0jPSjCJIgDGnOGk5iguHIi2zHA6-cEVdch-KTCKr0ZzsAk1R06HJwAgf6YDi8pGnYw.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQN29P7CjbSMQQyu8rthF5V1DYr2WS3ryGyYHCQNQYC54xJQODJG1xVd3GQdnwC994l-I-bAY6s-GFGbuAaRDZpY84tq0jPSjCJIgDGnOGk5iguHIi2zHA6-cEVdch-KTCKr0ZzsAk1R06HJwAgf6YDi8pGnYw.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":263778,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=263778","url_meta":{"origin":310399,"position":2},"title":"The \u00a3200 Billion Bill For Upgrading The Grid For Net\u00a0Zero","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"25\/06\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Billions have already been spent integrating wind power into the grid.","rel":"","context":"In \"CO2\"","block_context":{"text":"CO2","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=co2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0Net-Zero-.jpg?fit=1200%2C981&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0Net-Zero-.jpg?fit=1200%2C981&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0Net-Zero-.jpg?fit=1200%2C981&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0Net-Zero-.jpg?fit=1200%2C981&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0Net-Zero-.jpg?fit=1200%2C981&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":265028,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=265028","url_meta":{"origin":310399,"position":3},"title":"Pylons to be forced on public to hit net zero\u00a0goal","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/07\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Hundreds of miles\u00a0of overhead cables and pylons\u00a0are expected to be fast-tracked through the planning system despite local opposition, so Britain can meet its net zero targets.","rel":"","context":"In \"DESNZ\"","block_context":{"text":"DESNZ","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=desnz"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0IRUIXHTFH5GIVAYQFW52YS4RIU.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0IRUIXHTFH5GIVAYQFW52YS4RIU.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0IRUIXHTFH5GIVAYQFW52YS4RIU.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0IRUIXHTFH5GIVAYQFW52YS4RIU.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0IRUIXHTFH5GIVAYQFW52YS4RIU.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":304303,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=304303","url_meta":{"origin":310399,"position":4},"title":"The UK is much closer to blackouts than anyone dares to admit","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"25\/02\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Of all the problems with electric cars, perhaps the least expected was the revelation that some home charging points provide a potential point of weakness for malign foreign powers to\u00a0interfere with our National Grid.","rel":"","context":"In \"Blackouts\"","block_context":{"text":"Blackouts","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=blackouts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/03039537-poster-p-1-this-is-what-london-would-look-like-without-any-lights-on-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/03039537-poster-p-1-this-is-what-london-would-look-like-without-any-lights-on-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/03039537-poster-p-1-this-is-what-london-would-look-like-without-any-lights-on-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/03039537-poster-p-1-this-is-what-london-would-look-like-without-any-lights-on-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/03039537-poster-p-1-this-is-what-london-would-look-like-without-any-lights-on-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":418997,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=418997","url_meta":{"origin":310399,"position":5},"title":"Wasted Wind Power Costs Britain Almost \u00a31.5 Billion in 2025","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"29\/12\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Nearly \u00a31.5 billion worth of wind power has gone to waste in Britain this year, as grid bottlenecks dog Ed Miliband\u2019s Net Zero plans and drive household bills higher.","rel":"","context":"In \"Ed Miliband\"","block_context":{"text":"Ed Miliband","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=ed-miliband"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQMPXgiNY_kVJqhtm9XJTEZazw7aiOEWXisgqFBvDBFXd1vye-xyILENIpYyKDaEjdzN6ypnGH2htm81hFjDmf4AKicOjSDmX1t7tC3QJhvSNOBwBu_ovzYtWChD15y3-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C697&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQMPXgiNY_kVJqhtm9XJTEZazw7aiOEWXisgqFBvDBFXd1vye-xyILENIpYyKDaEjdzN6ypnGH2htm81hFjDmf4AKicOjSDmX1t7tC3QJhvSNOBwBu_ovzYtWChD15y3-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C697&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQMPXgiNY_kVJqhtm9XJTEZazw7aiOEWXisgqFBvDBFXd1vye-xyILENIpYyKDaEjdzN6ypnGH2htm81hFjDmf4AKicOjSDmX1t7tC3QJhvSNOBwBu_ovzYtWChD15y3-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C697&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQMPXgiNY_kVJqhtm9XJTEZazw7aiOEWXisgqFBvDBFXd1vye-xyILENIpYyKDaEjdzN6ypnGH2htm81hFjDmf4AKicOjSDmX1t7tC3QJhvSNOBwBu_ovzYtWChD15y3-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C697&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQMPXgiNY_kVJqhtm9XJTEZazw7aiOEWXisgqFBvDBFXd1vye-xyILENIpYyKDaEjdzN6ypnGH2htm81hFjDmf4AKicOjSDmX1t7tC3QJhvSNOBwBu_ovzYtWChD15y3-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C697&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=310399"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":310403,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310399\/revisions\/310403"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/310402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=310399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=310399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=310399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}