By John Sturman, Managing Director, NatPower UK
Energy supply has become a central concern for the UK. Extreme surges in household bills (requiring government intervention to enforce a price cap) since the start of the Ukraine War, alongside international supply disruptions, demonstrates a critical vulnerability: our exposure to the European and International gas markets. For a country with abundant sustainable resources and growing expertise in clean energy, this dependence is increasingly hard to justify. It leaves families and businesses exposed to electricity price shocks, makes power cost budgeting extremely difficult and uncertain and undermines the UK’s energy security.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently stated that “energy security is national security”. We share that view. At NatPower, we are committed to supporting the UK’s transition to a homegrown energy system by investing in large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS). These projects ensure that renewable energy generated here in the UK, is used efficiently, stored when there is over production, and deployed during demand peaks.
While we are also developing UK solar and wind, our primary focus is on battery storage because it unlocks the full value of the UK’s green resources and reduces the use of fossil fuels. With the right infrastructure in place, we can support the government’s ambition to achieve a clean power system by 2030 and deliver more reliable, affordable energy for communities and businesses across the country.
A modern energy system must be both clean and flexible. Without sufficient storage, we will continue falling back on gas during periods of low renewable output: precisely the risk we are trying to eliminate. That is why NatPower is developing one of the largest clean energy and storage pipelines in the country, with more than £10 billion worth of projects that can provide dependable energy to millions of homes and businesses.
The UK Government has taken important steps, including its 2030 grid decarbonisation target, reforms on grid access and support for long-duration storage. But policy ambition must now be matched by delivery. Outdated grid structure, ownership and regulatory processes still delay progress and urgent reforms are taking years to enact. We need a system that moves at the speed of innovation and meets the urgency of the moment.
This is not just about climate targets. It is about ensuring our energy is secure, our bills are stable, international investment is attracted and our economic growth is rooted in infrastructure built here in Britain.
We know what must be done. The technology is ready. The investment is lined up. Now we need delivery of the long overdue regulatory and grid changes and we need them to go farther and wider than current proposals. At NatPower, we are building the infrastructure that will help Britain regain control of its energy future: a future that is clean, resilient, and powered by the UK itself.