As 2025 comes to a close, it’s important that we recognise all the important progress that has been made in the UK, as well as on a global scale, throughout the year. From the UK Government’s Clean Power Action Plan, to renewable energy overtaking coal’s share in the global electricity mix for the first time, this month’s Bryt Insight recaps the key milestones and news we covered throughout 2025.

Alongside this, December’s Bryt Insight summarises the outcomes from the UK Government’s 2025 Autumn Budget regarding energy, and we also share some recent milestones hit by renewable energy.

You can find out more about these stories, as well as other news related to renewable energy and sustainability, in December’s Bryt Insight:

At the start of November, long-term wholesale electricity prices saw an increase, but quickly decreased as the month continued.

This initial increase was due to unplanned maintenance at one of the UK’s nuclear power stations, which limited nuclear supply and therefore caused an increase in prices.

Long-term wholesale electricity prices then fell, because there was an increase in available imported gas, as the gas markets in Asia saw lower demand. Also contributing to the decrease in prices was milder weather across the UK than is usually expected for December. The price of gas is currently at the lowest it has been since before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is having a significant impact on the cost of long-term electricity prices, as gas continues to impact the price of electricity. Long-term electricity prices are now at an eight-month low.

Similar to the trend seen in long-term electricity prices, short-term month-ahead electricity prices initially increased slightly at the start of November, before then decreasing later in the month.

As with the long-term price increase, the small increase at the start of November for short-term prices was driven by the nuclear power station maintenance and resulting reduction in generation, as well as coinciding with a period of lower wind energy generation. Both of these factors reduced available supply, which meant that more expensive gas generation was used to supplement it.

Renewable generation then increased, improving availability of supply and causing short-term wholesale electricity prices to drop, while the decrease in gas prices also brought prices down. For six days, this meant that the UK’s short-term electricity prices were amongst the cheapest in Europe.

However, November’s day-ahead wholesale electricity prices saw some volatility with darker, colder nights increasing demand for heating and electricity, causing prices to increase at times.

Looking forwards through December, wholesale electricity prices are likely to follow the downward trajectory we saw in November, as we have already seen in the start of this month. Weather forecasts still point towards milder weather into the middle of December, which will limit demand for heating. All nuclear power stations in the UK are also due to be out of maintenance by this time, which will increase supply and push wholesale electricity prices down.

Nevertheless, it should be noted that a variety of factors, such as a change to the weather forecasts, unplanned power station outages, or geopolitical tension, may cause wholesale electricity prices to increase.

There is also a chance that electricity prices may increase around the Christmas period, as market liquidity typically decreases around this time of the year due to less trading activity. This reduction in available trading volume may cause prices to increase.

Prices for Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) certificates, for all compliance years, have fallen in November, and are amongst the lowest we’ve seen in six months. This is likely to be due to an abundance of renewable energy output over the last couple of months, and this increase in supply causes REGO prices to be cheaper.

Responding to an increase in fraud within the non-domestic energy market, Ofgem are conducting a new campaign to encourage fraud awareness, helping businesses protect themselves from fraud. In their campaign, Ofgem key warning signs to look out for include:

• Be wary of unexpected phone calls and emails, and always check that the person contacting you is who they say they are. If in doubt, hang up and call back on a verified number from their website.
• Take your time with signing contracts, to fully understand the terms and conditions, avoid being pressured, and be extra cautious around the date of your renewal or when moving premises.
• Make sure that the contract you are signing is with a licensed energy supplier, which you can check at Ofgem’s website, here.

If you are in doubt of the contact’s credibility, Ofgem affirms that you should stop, step away, and contact the business directly through the phone number on their website. You can read about our advice in avoiding fraud and phishing attempts in our FAQs, here.

The UK Government has released their new Autumn Budget for 2025. In it, they have committed to cutting energy bills by an average of £150 per household from April 2026. The Government intends to fund these cuts primarily by:

• Funding 75% of the legacy Renewables Obligation (RO) costs (which support the development of large renewable energy projects) through general taxation, which will mean that payment will depend on levels of income.
• Ending the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) programme in March 2026¹, which was designed to improve energy efficiency improvements in households with a lower income. This means that the programme will no longer be funded through energy bills.

The Government claims that this will help to directly reduce inflation by over 0.2 percentage points in 2026-27.

A significant part of the Autumn Budget included measures to reduce the cost of building nuclear power plants, in order to increase the UK’s nuclear capacities. The Government’s budget also announced the approval of the full business case for Forth Green Freeport, an industrial strategic, free trade zone that aims to strengthen economic growth and decarbonisation. This could boost the UK’s production of renewable energy and sustainable fuels (which refers to fossil fuel alternatives used for transport, such as aviation), including offshore wind energy.

Alongside these announcements, the Government will be extending the Electric Car Grant, which provides discounts on selected electric vehicles depending on the level of environmental criteria that the car meets. The grant will now last until 2029-2030, and the Government have also increased the funding for this grant by £1.3 billion. Alongside this, the budget also introduced an electric car road tax at 3p per mile from 2028, with public consultation open now, to inform how this will be implemented².

The budget also confirmed that the Government intends to introduce a UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) from 2027. This mechanism will place a charge on carbon intensive goods from overseas, in order to apply a comparable carbon price to that paid by UK manufacturers. This is aimed to encourage reductions in global emissions, so that carbon emissions aren’t simply displaced overseas.

To find out more about the Government’s Autumn Budget, visit here³.

Alongside their Autumn Budget, the UK Government has released their North Sea Future Plan. In this, the Government outlined their plan to support the growth of ‘clean’ energy industries in the North Sea and help make the transition towards less reliance on oil and gas industries, whilst protecting jobs and managing existing oil and gas producers. The plan affirms their intention to manage existing oil and gas fields for their lifespan, whilst being clear that they will not issue any new licences for new fields. Instead, the Government will introduce ‘Transitional Energy Certificates’, which enable limited oil and gas production on, or close to, existing fields. The Government states that existing jobs will be protected, and jobs in ‘clean’ energy sectors will be delivered, as well as those in advanced manufacturing and defence.

The plan also includes the new North Sea Jobs Service, which will build on the introduction of the ‘skills passport’ to provide career support for oil and gas workers in transitioning to the previously mentioned emerging sectors.

To find out more about the Government’s plans for the future of the North Sea, visit here⁴.

Global fossil fuel usage is on track to peak before 2030

According to research from the International Energy Agency (IEA), the world is on track to see fossil fuel usage peak before 2030. Their research was published in the early stages of COP30, and found that global coal usage is either peaking or is close to peaking. Oil usage is expected to peak around 2030, and gas is expected to peak before 2035. This is dependent on governments across the world continuing to pursue their stated policy intentions to reduce their usage of fossil fuels and move to renewables. In this scenario, the amount of renewable energy in electricity generation grows from one-third in 2025, to over 50% by 2035, and then to two-thirds by 2050. This is driven by the growth of solar and wind energy, alongside support from storage batteries.

The IEA outlines different scenarios based upon changing intended international policies. They include a scenario in which global heating could be limited to 1.5°C – which would see temperatures peak at 1.65°C or temporarily overshoot, before returning to 1.5C by 2100. This scenario is dependent on countries not only meeting their intended commitments, but also increasing their ambitions for the energy sector and deploying carbon removal technologies at scale.

To read more about the IEA’s research, visit here⁵.

Heat batteries are now included in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme

In an effort to increase the uptake of low-carbon technologies, the UK Government has expanded the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to now include heat batteries and air-to-air heat pumps. For these technologies, a £2,500 discount will apply. This is in addition to the £7,500 discount that is applied for air and ground source heat pumps, and can apply to households and small business owners that fulfil specific requirements.

Air-to-air heat pumps can be used for both heating and cooling, and heat batteries use sources such as on-site solar or heat pumps to store thermal energy, which can then be released when needed. As such, both heat batteries and air-to-air heat pumps can be used to replace gas boilers and reduce the reliance on fossil fuels for heating, helping the country decarbonise.

To find out more about this update, visit here⁶.

Wind power generation record is broken in Great Britain

On 11^th November at 7:30pm, Great Britain broke its record for wind power generation, producing 22,711MW of energy, according to NESO. At this time, wind power supplied 43.6% of Great Britain’s electricity demand, with enough energy to power 22 million homes.

Great Britain’s previous record was set on 18^th December 2024, with 22,523MW of wind energy generated. As we move closer to the UK’s Clean Power 2030 target with ever-increasing renewables on the grid, we look forward to seeing more milestones achieved for wind power generation, and for renewable energy as a whole.

To read more about this record in wind generation, visit here⁷.

Rooftop solar installations reach new milestone in the UK

The amount of rooftop solar installations in the UK has broken a new record, reaching 206,682 installations in a one-year period. This milestone marks 1.85 million certified solar panel installations in the UK in total.

A key contributor to this increase has been installations on new builds, making up 35% of the total in 2025. When the Future Homes Standard is published, an upcoming UK Government initiative to ensure that new homes in England are built with energy efficiency measures and low-carbon technologies, new builds will be effectively mandated to be built with solar panels, which will help to boost installations even further.

The installation of solar on building rooftops will not only help businesses and households to be more self-sufficient with their energy, but will also be a key contributor to the UK’s renewable energy goals. To find out more about this milestone, visit here⁸.

Global floating offshore wind capacity has increased by 13% over the past year

New research from RenewableUK has shown that global floating offshore wind capacity has grown by 13% in the past year, rising from 245MW a year ago, to 277MW. 16 projects are operational across seven countries, with the UK sitting at second place, with 78MW across two operational projects. Installations are also on track to increase by almost ten-fold by 2030, to 2,500MW.

221GW of floating offshore wind capacity is being developed in total, in all stages of development, across 324 projects. By 2030, the UK is set to hold 41% of all global floating offshore wind capacity. The development of floating offshore wind technology enables more capacity to be installed in much larger areas far from land, which will play an important role in decarbonising the UK’s energy systems and reducing global emissions. It’s positive to see the UK as a global leader in the development of floating offshore wind, and we look forward to seeing this industry grow in the coming years.

To read more about RenewableUK’s findings, visit here⁹.

Summary of Statkraft’s Green Transition Scenarios 2025 report

Following the release of Statkraft’s Green Transition Scenarios 2025 report, we have highlighted the key takeaways and findings from Statkraft’s report in our own summary. You can read about the possibilities for the pathways of the global energy transition in our summary of Statkraft’s report, here.

Statkraft gains planning consent for Knockcronal Wind Farm

Statkraft have achieved planning consent for Knockcronal Wind Farm in South Ayrshire, Scotland, agreeing a design that has nine total wind turbines and will generate 59.4MW of power. Following the project being submitted in November 2021, this achievement of gaining planning consent enables the project to progress to the next stage of development, and is an important step in seeing the wind farm to completion.

Once operational, the project will generate enough electricity to power 49,000 homes, and will drive investments for the local area, as well as a community benefit fund of £5,000 per MW that is installed. To read more about this milestone, visit here¹⁰.

Statkraft invests more than £100 million in Necton Greener Grid Park 

Statkraft has begun the construction of its largest ever grid stability scheme, Necton Greener Grid Park. The project is four times the size of Statkraft’s second biggest project, and Statkraft has committed over £100 million to the project, which is expected to take two years to complete.

Greener Grid Parks, like Necton, will be crucial in creating inertia for the UK’s grid, helping to provide stability to a grid that is powered by renewables. The project will provide about 3% of Great Britain’s inertia requirements, which is the same as that which would have been provided by an 800MW gas fired power station.

To read more about this update, visit here¹¹.

For the UK, 2025 has been a crucial year for taking impactful climate action and outlining plans to achieve our national targets. In Bryt Insight, we’ve been updating you on the important news and milestones that have been achieved, across renewable energy and decarbonisation, at every step. Some highlights from 2025’s Bryt Insight editions include:

Decarbonising the grid

The UK Government ended 2024 on a positive note by launching their Clean Power Action Plan, which outlined the action that must be taken to decarbonise the grid and acknowledges the National Energy System Operator’s (NESO) recommendations to achieve this. In May’s Bryt Insight, Ofgem approved NESO’s grid reform proposals, which will speed up the process of connecting renewable energy projects to the grid. To achieve the Government’s decarbonisation targets and renewable energy goals, just last month, we also reported on the UK Government’s ‘Clean Energy Jobs Plan’, which outlines their plan to build a ‘clean’ energy workforce across the country.

The UK Government’s AI strategy

In February’s Bryt Insight, we featured the Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, which outlined their plans to grow the UK’s AI sector. This was produced alongside the establishment of the AI Energy Council, to help ensure that AI contributes towards the Government’s net zero goals, rather than detracts from it.

Great British Energy’s progress

Great British Energy, the UK Government’s publicly owned renewable energy company, was formally established when the Great British Energy Bill was passed in May, outlining the organisation’s aim to assist the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy security and efficiency. The UK Government committed £8.3 billion in funding to the organisation, with almost £200 million to go towards investing into rooftop solar for hospitals and schools. In May’s Bryt Insight, we covered the news that the Government would also commit £300 million for Great British Energy to invest in local supply chains for offshore wind energy projects. In October’s Bryt Insight, we saw the UK Government set out GBE’s strategic priorities, and we anticipate further action to execute these in 2026.

Key milestones and records broken

This year also saw some record-breaking achievements for renewable energy and low-carbon technologies. In September’s Bryt Insight, we highlighted that the biggest Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in the UK, Thurrock Storage, was powered up and connected to the UK’s grid. As batteries are able to take in surplus renewable electricity generation, and dispatch this back to the grid when required, they offer an essential source of storage to support increased intermittent renewables onto the grid.

A major turning point for the future of renewable energy was recently announced – renewable energy had overtaken coal’s share in the global electricity mix for the first time. In September, we also spotlighted new milestones that were achieved: the record-breaking 16.1GW of new capacity in the UK from renewable energy projects were given approval to start building, and the most solar power that has been generated in the UK, across 2025 until August.

In March’s Bryt Insight, we highlighted the UK’s announcement of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target, which committed to cut greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 81% by 2035, compared to levels seen in 1990. This was submitted ahead of the COP30 deadline, which was hosted in Belém last month. To find out more about the outcomes of COP30, you can read our summary, here.

At such critical times for climate action, it’s been encouraging to see the strides the UK has been making in the last year, through the growth of renewable energy, the uptake of low-carbon technologies, and the outlining of tangible plans to achieve targets. We hope to see 2026 building on the momentum we’ve seen in the last year, as we move towards the UK’s Clean Power 2030 target.

If you have any questions about how these updates might affect you or would like to find out more, our team of experts are happy to provide further insight. You can contact them on 0330 053 8620 or at heretohelp@brytenergy.co.uk.