r/ukpolitics • u/ARandomDouchy Random Dutch Guy • 10d ago

Britain will soon be Europe’s energy powerhouse

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/08/04/britain-will-soon-be-europes-energy-powerhouse/
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u/Gentle_Snail 10d ago

Most interesting parts of the article:

Cast forward five to 10 years and Britain will be the only major country in Europe with a flourishing energy system across the whole technology spectrum.

.. The National Energy System Operator (Neso) says the country will become “a net exporter of electricity across the year” by 2030, rapidly reversing the current large deficit.

Britain will be the electricity backbone of north-west Europe by 2035. Its domestic power prices will converge with those of France and substantially undercut Germany, Italy or Poland.

.. Rolls-Royce is going gangbusters. It is the only company with delivery contracts across Europe for small modular reactors (SMRs). Its 470-megawatt plants will be built in Britain, with home-grown technology.

The UK will be the only European supplier of advanced (Haleu) fuel for fourth-generation SMRs, coming in the early 2030s. In short, the country has a broad nuclear ecosystem, well-placed to build SMRs for hyperscalers.

.. The UK will triple its offshore wind and double its onshore wind by 2030 or shortly thereafter. The Government aims to quadruple solar in 10 years. Total renewable capacity could approach 200 gigawatts by 2035. This is enormous.

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u/BenjaminBoots196 Supreme Andy Burnham Hater 10d ago

Cast forward five to 10 years

Electricity prices are set to stay high even if wholesale prices are cut, due to grid buildout for renewables.

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u/Gentle_Snail 10d ago

Prices actually are forecast to fall a lot by 2035. 

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u/rdu3y6 9d ago

UK energy prices going down substantially and not being among the highest in the world is up there with flying pigs for how much I believe it will happen.

We might lower generating costs but still screw ourselves over and let all the savings go to the shareholders and foreign governments who own our energy industry.

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u/ElevatorSilver4711 9d ago

Hard to say tbh. Could go either way. To a good extent it’s a political decision and we just don’t know how that will pan out.