Half of developers say UK energy projects are getting stuck before final investment decisions because developers cannot secure bankable offtake deals and long-term contracted revenues, according to a report from the Energy Industries Council.
Stuart Broadley, the EIC’s chief executive, said the UK needs to treat the energy system as one integrated chain, not a set of separate policy programmes. “In a more volatile geopolitical landscape, you cannot run energy policy in silos,” Broadley said. “The supply chain is one system. If the UK keeps sending mixed signals, capital and capability move elsewhere.”
The report describes a pattern where many projects move through development work but are never built. Policy uncertainty, permitting delays and grid access problems add to delivery risk.
Based on interviews conducted in late 2025 with 50 CEOs and senior executives across 44 organisations, the Bankable Energies Report reveals that 44% of respondents said bankability had not improved since the start of 2025. Some 38% said it had improved and 18% said it was unchanged. Interviewees included organisations from the supply chain, financial institutions and investors, insurers and policymakers.
Report participants pointed to direct government support, state-backed revenue mechanisms and policy clarity as key enablers, while warning that unclear risk allocation can make projects unfinanceable even where demand exists.