Hydrogen UK and Octopus Energy Warn Against Scrapping Climate Act

Clementine Cowton, Director of External Affairs at Octopus Energy Group, echoed the warning, describing the Act as “an important and useful piece of legislation” that gives governments and businesses the ability to make long-term investments in the national interest. She contrasted the UK’s short political cycles with China’s ability to make strategic long-term bets, noting that while Net Zero policy must maintain social consent to remain legitimate, the 2008 Act provides vital stability. Cowton added that “to repeal the Climate Change Act in response to high electricity prices would be a grave misdiagnosis of our economic malaise. The Act – which legislates a target fully 25 years in the future – allows the flexibility necessary to deliver both cheap power and low pollution.”

Both executives argued that the real focus should be on driving down electricity costs to make mass electrification possible. Cowton criticised some government decisions made under political pressure, such as reliance on carbon capture, hydrogen for heat, and biomass for power, but stressed that Net Zero is best achieved through electrification and scaling cheap renewable electricity. “Politicians must instead focus on achieving Net Zero through electrification and the deployment of cheap, abundant electricity,” she concluded.