Catch 2050: investing for net zero

13 April 2021

Catch 2050: investing for net zero

Can power network operators deliver the scale and pace of investment needed for net zero without alienating communities or causing environmental detriment? A new report from Utility Week and Hitachi ABB Power Grids explores the challenge.

Between now and 2050, power networks in the UK will need to sink around £147bn into asset renewal and growth projects to support converging dependencies on electricity to enable economy-wide greening – including for heat and transport.

Using existing approaches to delivering connections for offshore generation or electric vehicle charging, and to installing grid-scale energy storage, this will translate to an onslaught of concrete and grey boxes which could severely damage public buy-in to the net zero vision and negatively impact our landscape and native ecosystems.

Download Utility Week’s report, created in association with Hitachi ABB Power Grids, to discover how industry leader are seeking to avoid these risks through:

  • Reforming to the offshore connections regime
  • Adopting new ways of communicating with communities and consumers about the role of assets in national decarbonisation
  • Committing to stretching biodiversity net gain targets
  • Embracing fresh thinking about the scope for dual purpose assets
  • Leveraging innovation to reduce the footprint and embodied carbon of future assets