Jess Ralston, Head of Energy, Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit:
“The Government is sticking with clean power as its solution to two energy crises in a matter of years, in line with the International Energy Agency’s recommendations and the British public who see investing in renewables as the solution to less dependence on Trump and the Middle East as North Sea oil and gas output continues its inevitable decline. Households are increasingly voting with their feet as installations of net zero technologies like solar, EVs and heat pumps have taken off in response to higher prices. Increasingly this surge towards electrifying homes will be powered by clean British renewables.
“There are now even clearer divides between political parties on the UK’s energy future, with the Government bringing in a ban on fracking compared to Reform which aligns more with Trump on wanting to frack across Lancashire and Lincolnshire. This puts them at odds with the British public for whom fracking is one of the most unpopular energy sources and even Reform-led local councils that are less than keen given voter opposition.”

Yslekla Farmer, CEO, BEAMA:
“We hope that despite the current political turbulence the Government and its officials can retain focus on delivering policy changes that can accelerate electrification to benefit industry, improve our energy system and boost energy security. BEAMA’s Market Pulse shows that political and policy uncertainty hurts investment and market growth, so we hope that the Government is able to reassure us as soon as possible on the details and timings for implementation of policies – many of which are already running on challenging timelines.”
“…For too long, the UK’s electricity prices have been unfairly tethered to volatile gas prices. The Electricity Generator Levy Bill promises to begin breaking that outdated link, which is overdue – good news for consumers, businesses, and manufacturers. The question now is about time: how long will it take to achieve a transparent and credible pathway for changing how electricity prices are determined? Without that certainty and confidence to invest, businesses will be compromised in the plans they can make, weakening potential growth and creating a drag upon the UK’s energy transition.
“…Upskilling is about balancing long and short-term investment. Greater flexibility in how levy funding is allocated will give manufacturers agility to combine shorter, skills-focused training with traditional apprenticeships. Likewise, policy and investment continuity will be critical to demonstrate that gateway skills are an attractive career pathway for the longer term, stoking supply. That can only strengthen UK innovation and competitiveness.”

Anthony Ainsworth, COO, Npower Business Solutions:
“… the Energy Independence Bill will be vital to delivering a secure and sustainable energy system that will help businesses confidently manage their energy costs. They are already facing high wholesale market volatility and steep increases in non-commodity costs to fund the low-carbon transition, which is impacting competitiveness and confidence.
“In short, it demonstrates how energy is inextricably linked with economic growth. So, while the commitments in the Energy Independence Bill will be welcomed by many, businesses have told us there is still a need for short to medium term support to help them with their energy costs.
“The Energy Independence Bill is undoubtedly a major step forward, but for business energy users, it only tells part of the story.”

Amy Wilson, CMO, Wattstor:
“While the current situation in the Middle East has brought energy costs into sharp focus, the fact is that we have been experiencing significant energy volatility for half a decade. On top of this, the UK continues to face some of the highest industrial electricity costs in Europe.
“That is why achieving energy independence is non-negotiable, and why it needs to be a ministerial priority in the coming months and years.
“However, in many cases, achieving energy independence is already happening. For businesses, the energy price shocks over the past few years have resulted in them leading the way, choosing localised energy sources such as rooftop solar PV and battery storage to power their operations, while reducing strain on the national grid.
“Current regulations mean that the UK is slow to roll out onsite renewable systems, which means that commercial rooftops bereft of solar panels are sitting there as a huge untapped potential resource. Therefore, increasing local energy is a real opportunity for the government.
“By prioritising simpler and faster grid applications, focusing on the promises made to speed up planning permissions – particularly for local renewable energy schemes – and simplifying easement rules on public land, more businesses can take control of their own energy independence.”

Phil Dingle, Future Networks Director, Lucy Electric:
“The UK’s skills gap is becoming a critical fault line that could undermine the push for greater energy independence. While significant challenges remain around the future of electricity networks and infrastructure delivery, it is encouraging to see continued commitment to apprenticeships and long-term workforce development….
“The scale of the skill transformation is enormous. If we are to succeed with building a future that is electric, we need an additional 130,000 jobs by 2050.”

Tom Fewins, Head of External Affairs, Aldersgate Group:
“The government is right to acknowledge the significant international challenges facing the UK. These challenges also include the growing impacts of the unfolding climate and biodiversity crises, where issues such as overstretched water resources and internationally exposed energy systems are piling pressure on households, exposing businesses to growing risks and threatening economic growth and national security.
“Our members are committed to building a secure, low carbon, nature positive economy, but businesses need a clear and consistent direction of travel from government to enable greater investment, innovation and delivery across the economy. Incremental change alone will not be enough to capture the economic opportunities of the transition or address the growing risks that climate and environmental pressures pose to businesses and communities across the UK. We will continue to work with government in addressing additional frictions on climate adaptation, circularity policy, and economy-wide electrification.”

Zoe Stollard, Partner in Energy & Infrastructure, Browne Jacobson:
“The Nuclear Regulation Bill arrives at a pivotal moment for the UK’s nuclear ambitions. The existing regulatory framework – designed primarily for legacy large-scale plants – has struggled to adapt to the pace of development in small modular reactors and advanced nuclear technologies.
“A fit-for-purpose regulatory regime that provides investors and developers with greater certainty, without compromising on safety, is essential to unlocking the billions of pounds of private capital that nuclear requires.”
“…An expanded Electricity Generator Levy will be unwelcome news for generators who argue, with some justification, that windfall taxation undermines the investment case for new clean energy capacity at precisely the moment when that investment is most needed. The policy trade-off is a difficult one: there is genuine public interest in capturing exceptional profits during price spikes, but repeated interventions in generator revenue streams create long-term uncertainty that increases the cost of capital for future projects.
“Any extension of the levy needs to be carefully calibrated and time-limited, with clear sunset provisions, to avoid deterring the very investment that the Energy Independence Bill is designed to attract.”

Mark Tan, International Tax partner, Spencer West LLP:
“For the businesses this affects, [The Tax Charge (excess profits) proposal] raises real questions about forecasting, contracts, group structures, financing covenants and the future economics of existing projects.
“….The country needs substantial private capital to build and maintain energy infrastructure, and whilst a higher levy may be attractive in the short term, once again, this pushes capital elsewhere. It risks doing little for the wider economy and even less for long-term energy security.”

Kevin Gibbs, Senior Consultant, Charles Russell Speechlys:
…”The proposed legislation to implement the “Fingleton” reforms to nuclear planning and regulatory rules, is a significant moment for the sector. … One of the biggest challenges facing new nuclear projects has been the length and complexity of the planning and regulatory process. The Government is now sharpening its focus on smarter regulation and improved coordination to provide a quicker and more certain route to the delivery of nuclear projects, including the emerging small modular reactor programmes. Investors have been looking for clearer signals from Government for some time, and regulatory reform is likely to be seen as a test of how serious ministers are about speeding up delivery.
…”The question is whether the proposed reforms do remove barriers to delivery without creating further uncertainty elsewhere in the system.”

Rachel Fletcher, Director of Economics and Regulation, Octopus Energy:
“We’ve long campaigned against unfair charges when people sell energy back to the grid from their solar panels, batteries and electric cars, so it’s great to see the government taking action to fix this. People can now be even more confident buying EVs and home batteries – cutting their bills whilst making the grid cheaper and more efficient for everyone else too. The System Operator must now act quickly to pay consumers instead of fossil fuel generators, slashing the cost of power for everyone.”

Taco Engelaar, Senior Vice President, Neara:
“Long-term energy independence is not as simple as ramping up renewables. Real sovereignty requires knowing, asset by asset and line by line, where your network is vulnerable, what fails under extreme weather or demand surge, and how fast you can reroute power when something goes wrong. That kind of network intelligence exists. It must become a central part of the plan if we are to achieve genuine sovereignty and keep the UK connected.”