The King’s Speech 2026: Energy Independence

The King’s Speech was delivered on 13th May 2026 at the State Opening of Parliament, alongside the publication of briefing notes on the announcements made in the speech. The speech focused on plans to make the country stronger and fairer, with proposals to remove barriers to growth.

The speech includes plans to “introduce an Energy Independence Bill to scale-up homegrown renewable energy and protect living standards for the long term”.

The briefing note describes the Energy Independence Bill as the next step in the Government's plan to deliver clean energy, delivering transformative measures to underpin action on three core objectives: 

• Tackling the affordability crisis and protecting consumers; 
• Accelerating the UK’s drive for energy security; and 
• Delivering a fair, managed and prosperous transition to clean energy.

To accelerate the UK’s drive for energy security, the Bill will aim to:

• Reform market, planning and regulatory frameworks to accelerate the deployment of clean power including offshore wind, hydrogen and smart grid technologies.
• Speed up the build-out of vital grid infrastructure with a package of measures to reduce unnecessary delays, including reforms to land access rules and networks consenting.
• Introduce powers needed to take a more strategic approach to planning and building energy infrastructure and operate the electricity system more efficiently.

The speech also announced support for “a new era of British nuclear energy generation”. The Nuclear Regulation Bill aims to modernise the way new nuclear projects are regulated so that the Government can deliver safe, secure and affordable nuclear power and infrastructure sooner, while maintaining strong environmental protections.

Recent global instability, including conflict in the Middle East, emphasises the need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The plans announced reinforce the importance of this and of cutting carbon emissions. They align with the Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, which states that electricity generated by renewables and nuclear power will form the backbone of a clean electricity system by 2030. The targets set out in the action plan include 43–50 GW of offshore wind, 27–29 GW of onshore wind, and 45–47 GW of solar power.

TEP has coordinated numerous large-scale infrastructure and energy projects and secured consents across multiple sectors, with power generation and transmission projects in our portfolio for almost 30 years. We work nationally and have a strong track record with private and public sector clients, including National Grid, National Gas, Electricity North West Ltd, SP Energy Networks and Qair UK. We have also undertaken feasibility studies for interconnector projects, route corridor studies, and Development Consent Orders across England, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man.

We have secured planning permission for a wide variety of electricity infrastructure, including solar farms, substations and undergrounding overhead lines, and we have experience in gaining consent under Section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989 for new overhead line and can advise on permitted developments rights. We are also able to coordinate the production of Environmental Impact Assessments, from screening through to the preparation of the Environmental Statement. TEP’s Planning Team has coordinated the Environmental Statements for the BritNed and North Sea Link interconnectors.

Examples of projects for which TEP has successfully secured consent include the Hinkley Point C Connection Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, the IFA2 Interconnector, the Cotswolds Visual Impact Provision and Straws Hadley Solar Farm.

TEP has also secured consents for electronic communications (telecommunications infrastructure) in the Scottish Isles and linking England and Ireland. 

Juan Murray, Associate Director for Planning & EIA at TEP said that, “Whilst the Bill remains under development, there seems to be positive wording in terms of powers to expedite renewable energy projects through the planning system, and it's good to see energy infrastructure security being discussed given current world affairs. But only time will tell as to what powers can be implemented to speed up the regulatory processes and whether anything will change in the short to medium term”. 

If you are considering how these proposals may affect your projects or need advice on energy infrastructure planning, please get in touch with our team via our contact page.