UK strives for 100% clean power by 2035

The UK aims to fully decarbonise its power system by 2035, the government announced in its net-zero strategy on October 19, with natural gas set to remain part of the mix, but combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS).

The UK will rely on 100% clean electricity "subject to security of supply," the government said. "Our power system will consist of abundant, cheap British renewables, cutting edge new nuclear power stations, and be underpinned by flexibility including storage, gas with CCS and hydrogen, and ensure reliable power is always there at the flick of a switch."

The UK is looking to deploy 40 GW of offshore wind energy, while sourcing additional electricity from onshore wind, solar and other renewable energy facilities. It also aims to have 5 GW of hydrogen production capacity up and running within a decade, and 20-30mn metric tons/year of CO₂ storage capacity.

The UK's CCS development is backed up by a £1bn ($1.4bn) fund. The government has selected two projects to decarbonise major industrial clusters in north England by the mid-2020s that will benefit from this fund. It aims to have at least four up and running by 2030.