Renewable Energies & Hydrogen Countries with Cooperation Agreements

The UK is almost halfway to ending its domestic contribution to climate change thanks to the efforts of successive governments, and in 2019, the UK became the first major economy in the world to set a binding target for net zero emissions by 2050.

In 2022, the British Government developed the Net Zero Strategy, setting out policies and proposals for decarbonizing all sectors of the UK economy as an effort to meet the net zero target.

Key policies for the power sector, fuel supply and hydrogen include:

• fully decarbonization of the power system by 2035
• 50 GW of offshore wind, including 5 GW floating offshore wind by 2030
• 5 GW of hydrogen production capacity by 2030
• Launching additional public fund and mobilizing private investment
• Providing support for creating new jobs

In the first quarter of 2023, renewables fuelled around 48% of the UK’s electricity generation. Renewables are bringing an unprecedented opportunity for the UK to build back greener and level up the country with new skilled, high-wage jobs and rebuild better from the pandemic.

Offshore wind has been a successful story for the UK’s energy sector, mainly enabled by the political vision. With 13.9 GW of offshore wind fully commissioned at over 40 wind farms, today the UK secures its top spot in the European offshore wind industry. There is also a project pipeline of around 77 GW across 80 offshore projects that are either in construction, in development or planned in future seabed leasing auctions.

The continued investment and technology innovation also reinforce the UK as a world leader in offshore wind. For instance, the UK is among the first European countries which has a technology innovation and research center for offshore renewable energy (Catapult). It uses its unique facilities, research, and engineering capabilities to bring together industry and academia to drive innovation and commercialization in renewable energy. Most recently, the first digital autonomous and robotics engineering center (DARE) has been opened at the Catapult. The DARE center is a first-of-its-kind and will provide developers, researchers, and industry with the opportunity to test, demonstrate and commercialize innovative digital and robotic products and services for the offshore renewable energy market.

The UK’s offshore wind market is also underpinned by its commercially mature auction design. Contracts for Difference (CfD) is the UK’s government main support mechanism for low-carbon electricity generation.