New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
Can the UK rewire its energy future?
10/6/2026
8 min read
Feature
As the UK accelerates renewable deployment, attention is shifting from climate targets to the infrastructure, investment and market reforms needed to deliver them. At the recent All-Energy conference in Glasgow, Scotland, industry leaders warned that network upgrades, supply chains and investment must keep pace with the transition if the country is to capture the benefits of growing renewable generation while shielding consumers from future energy shocks. Kristy Jooste, Senior Content Officer, Energy Institute, reports.
The UK’s energy transition is entering a new phase. At this year’s All-Energy conference in Glasgow, discussions focused less on renewable energy targets and more on the practical challenge of delivering them.
From transmission networks and heat decarbonisation to supply chains and market reform, speakers repeatedly returned to the same question: can the infrastructure supporting the transition be expanded quickly enough to keep pace with it?
The biggest grid upgrade since the 1950s
One of the clearest examples of the scale of investment now underway can be seen in the UK’s electricity network. Guy Jefferson, Managing Director of Transmission at SP Energy Networks, described current investment plans as part of ‘the biggest grid upgrade since the 1950s’. Its parent company ScottishPower plans to invest £24bn across the UK energy sector over the next three years, including £12bn dedicated to transmission infrastructure.