The Mission Zero Coalition’s report stresses the need for the UK to rapidly expand its electricity infrastructure in the next five years to achieve net zero goals, with key recommendations including co-locating wind and solar farms with battery storage and leveraging digital technology for grid reliability.
Mission Zero Coalition Report Urges Acceleration of Renewable Energy Infrastructure in the UK
The Mission Zero Coalition, led by former UK Energy Minister Chris Skidmore and RenewableUK CEO Dan McGrail, has released a comprehensive report titled “At a Crossroads – Pathway to a Net Zero Future.” The report emphasizes the critical need for the UK to significantly enhance its electricity infrastructure over the next five years to achieve net zero targets.
The report highlights the necessity to quintuple the existing electricity infrastructure. It advocates for streamlined planning processes and increased community engagement through local civic assemblies to facilitate high-quality renewable energy applications. The report also addresses the need to alleviate resource constraints in planning departments to expedite decision-making.
Key strategic recommendations include co-locating wind and solar farms with battery storage to balance supply and demand efficiently. The report also underscores the role of digital technology in integrating renewable power and improving grid reliability, proposing the formation of a new task force for enhanced data sharing.
Chris Skidmore stated the importance of prioritizing the net zero transition within the first 100 days of the incoming government to meet the 2030 decarbonization target. Dan McGrail added that adopting the report’s recommendations could potentially save consumers £10 billion by 2050, as estimated by Ofgem.
The report, supported by various industry stakeholders, indicates the need for skilled workers, referencing the National Grid’s projection that over 400,000 new recruits are necessary by 2050 to meet net zero targets.
Vestas Secures 105 MW Wind Project Order with LEAG in Germany
In related news from Vestas Northern and Central Europe, Vestas has secured a 105 MW order with LEAG for the wind energy project ‘Forst-Briesnig II’ in the Lausitz region of Germany. This project marks the first wind energy initiative for LEAG, transitioning a former coal mining area into a renewable energy site.
The project will include the supply, delivery, and commissioning of 17 V162-6.2 MW wind turbines, with Vestas providing a 20-year Active Output Management (AOM 5000) service agreement. This development is part of LEAG’s broader energy transition project, the GigawattFactory, aimed at establishing one of Germany’s largest onshore renewable energy networks by 2030.
Senior executives from both Vestas and LEAG, including Dominique Guillou, CEO of LEAG Renewables GmbH, and Thorsten Kramer, CEO of LEAG, emphasized the significance of this project in the broader context of the energy transition in Germany.
Turbine delivery is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2025, with project commissioning slated for completion in the third quarter of 2026.
