Clean Power 2030 builds stability by cutting import reliance
The UK has a new Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, which aims to cut the use of gas power, but electrification is urgent to tackle energy imports across the rest of the economy. To stabilise energy bills the UK must cut imported fuels across the economy.
3 Mar 2025
44 Minutes Read
Table of Contents
Executive summary
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Relying on fuel imports risks energy stability
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Power imports have an important role to play
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Getting off imports to stabilise UK electricity bills
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Clean Power 2030 cuts gas import reliance quickly
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Clean power supports long-term price stability
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The wind down in biomass power has begun
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Other energy users remain reliant on imports
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Toward a clean, cheaper and more secure energy system
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Electrification of domestic heating cuts imports and bills
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Supporting materials
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Highlights
77%
By 2030, three-quarters of UK gas use will be imported due to long-term production decline
57%
Ember analysis shows that gas imports for power generation fall by 57% in a 2030 clean power system
95%
Currently, 95% of wood pellets used in biomass power production are imported
Executive summary
Electrification extends the energy security benefits of Clean Power 2030
Despite Clean Power 2030 targeting gas use in the power sector, the wider UK economy remains dependent on imported fossil fuels. To stabilise energy bills the UK must cut imported fuels across the economy.
The UK’s imports of oil, gas, and biomass expose it to ongoing market volatility and supply disruption. Electrification of both heating and transport cuts fossil fuel import reliance and builds energy stability across the economy by making the best use of an increasingly efficient and independent UK power supply.
Key takeaways
01
Clean Power 2030 will halve gas imports for power generation
Ember finds that the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, which aims to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and cut fossil fuel use, will slash an estimated 57% of gas imports by 2030.
02
Transport and home heating remain highly exposed to energy imports
Transport fuels, currently 40% imported, cost the average UK household more than electricity or gas. Reducing oil consumption through electrification represents a significant opportunity to cut energy bills and import reliance. For heating, by 2030 a heat pump will be 85% less reliant on imports, compared to a gas boiler.
03
Biomass is the UK’s third largest fuel import, with production only able to meet 5% of wood pellet demand
Biomass power generation is almost entirely reliant on imports of wood pellets, which means generators are exposed to price rises, as witnessed during the energy crisis when wood pellet prices increased by over a third, and remain well above the pre-crisis average.
Stability is a key benefit of the clean power goal. Cutting UK exposure to international price shocks has benefits for power, for heating and transport. Oil and gas production is in long-term decline, the future energy secure economy will be based on homegrown energy generation.
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