The boss of one of the UK’s biggest energy investors has warned against implementing a policy that supporters claim will reduce energy prices for consumers. ScottishPower chief executive Keith Anderson said “policy uncertainty” over zonal pricing risks putting off investors. ScottishPower is owned by Iberdrola, Spain’s largest power firm, which has pledged to invest up to £24 billion in the UK’s energy system, mostly through it’s ScottishPower division. The UK government is expected to introduce market reforms that could introduce zonal pricing for power imminently. Proponents of the reforms such as Octopus chief executive Greg Jackson claim zonal pricing could save the UK at least £3.7bn per year, the  equivalent to taking around £132 off every customer’s bill. WATCH: The Octopus Interview: Greg Jackson, chief executive However, developers of offshore wind projects in Scotland warn Battle lines drawn on zonal pricing risks derailing tens of billions of Scottish offshore wind investment that is expected to create thousands of jobs. Anderson, who will be chairing the opening session of the All Energy conference in Glasgow, is expected to address comments to the panel. In a statement issued to The Times, Anderson is expected to say: “Energy infrastructure is built to last for decades. It’s hard to invest today if you don’t know what the market is going to be like tomorrow. “You don’t grow by not building energy infrastructure. You don’t grow by putting off network build out. You don’t grow by putting off investors or harming an industry that is a British — and a big Scottish — success story. “Even down at a regional level, in the Highlands alone renewables could account for more than £100bn of investment according to Highlands and Islands Enterprise, if we don’t derail the stable policy framework that attracts that capital. “No matter your politics, electricity

A climate activism group in the Netherlands has launched a fresh legal case against oil supermajor Shell focused on around 700 oil and gas projects. It comes after a Dutch court last year overturned a landmark 2021 ruling in a case brought by the same activist group, which would have forced Shell to reduce its emissions impacts. Climate campaign group Milieudefensie, the Netherlands arm of Friends of the Earth, had sued Shell for the emissions produced throughout its entire value chain. In launching the new legal challenge, Milieudefensie said Shell had decided to invest in 32 oil and gas projects since the initial 2021 ruling. Milieudefensie director Donald Pols said the legal challenge aims to prevent all 700 of Shell’s projects from going ahead. “At a time in which the climate crisis continues to rage on because of the actions of companies such as Shell, every new oil or gas field is simply one too many,” Pols said. “This is why we are once again taking our case to court.” Pols said filing separate legal challenges over every individual project would “take far too long”. “In this way, all of Shell’s new fields might be banned in one fell swoop,” he said. Shell oil and gas production According to research by Milieudefensie and Global Witness, if Shell sticks to its current plans its 2030 emissions will be “even higher than in 2022”. If, however, Shell ceased oil and gas field development from April 2025, it could prevent up to 5.2 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions, Milieudefensie said. This equates to 36 times the current annual emissions of the Netherlands, the group added. Lawyer Roger Cox, who is representing Milieudefensie, said this shows the case could “bring huge climate gains”. © Supplied by UpliftStop Jackdaw protestors. London in 2022. “All leading

Companies can turn their own energy usage into a strategic asset that enhances both their sustainability profile and their bottom line.   About partnership content Some Energy Voice online content is funded by outside parties. The revenue from this helps to sustain our independent news gathering. You will always know if you are reading paid-for material as it will be clearly labelled as “Partnership” on the site and on social media channels, This can take two different forms. “Presented by”This means the content has been paid for and produced by the named advertiser. “In partnership with”This means the content has been paid for and approved by the named advertiser but written and edited by our own commercial content team. Businesses have a unique opportunity to unlock new revenue streams by leveraging demand side flexibility as the UK sprints towards achieving clean power in five years’ time. In its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, the UK government aims to increase demand side flexibility by up to five times from today’s levels. What is demand side flexibility? Also known as demand side response (DSR), this allows businesses to be financially incentivised to adjust the way they use energy in response to grid demands or price changes. This will help the national grid maintain stability in the system by balancing supply and demand. This will also help support renewable energy especially in Scotland, where a substantial portion of its electricity is generated from wind and solar sources. As the pioneer of DSR in the UK, Flexitricity is at the forefront of this movement. The Edinburgh-based electric utility company’s founder and chief strategy officer, Alastair Martin explained: “Renewable generation took off in an astonishing way, far faster than anybody had predicted, I think. “Renewables present a unique set of challenges, mostly about the availability

ScottishPower Renewables announced it had signed a maintenance framework with Enspec Power for annual maintenance services for equipment installed across several of its windfarms in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. Under the new contract, Enspec – which is headquartered in St Helens in Merseyside with bases in Manchester and Washington, Tyne and Wear – will carry out maintenance on reactive compensation equipment – statcom transformers, shunt reactors and capacitor banks. The agreement covers equipment installed on the Carland Cross, Clachan Flats, Wolf Bog, Lynemouth, Beinn Tharsuinn, Beinn an Tuirc II, Mark Hill, Dun Law Ext, Arecleoch and Kilgallioch windfarms. Together, these wind farms have a combined capacity of over 576 MW across 292 turbines. The agreement marks the renewal and expansion of a previous maintenance contract between the two companies. The previous agreement covered the same kind of maintenance services provided across eight wind farms over a three-year period, whereas the new contract covers 10 wind farms over a period of four years. ScottishPower’s operational portfolio totals more than 3 GW and is set to continue expanding, with major new offshore wind projects including East Anglia Two and East Anglia Three currently under construction. The servicing and maintenance of the company’s assets and associated equipment is “paramount” for the efficient operation of ScottishPower’s network, and “critical” in enabling it to deliver against its performance commitments, ScottishPower Renewables’ operations and maintenance director, Joe Mitchell, stated. “Reactive compensation equipment is essential for windfarms to generate and export green electricity,” added Enspec’s director of site services, Tony Cook. “Enspec prides itself on proactive maintenance to ensure the reliability and resilience of these expensive assets allowing them to operate safely and efficiently throughout the operational life of the wind farm.” Enspec’s work for ScottishPower is described in more detail in a case study on

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on energy cooperation and a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on critical minerals with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy H.R.H. Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud and H.E. Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef, respectively. Secretary Wright signed the documents as a member of the United States delegation led by President Donald J. Trump. The intention to sign the MOU was announced during Secretary Wright’s trip to Saudi Arabia in April of this year. The signings coincided with President Trump’s announcement that he secured a $600 billion investment commitment from Saudi Arabia. “President Trump and I are excited to unveil two historic deals between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, advancing our shared vision of global energy addition by better developing our energy resources, growing our energy infrastructure, enhancing our research relationships, and more,” Secretary Wright said. “These deals on energy and critical minerals as well as the historic investment commitments made earlier today, forge powerful partnerships that will ensure President Trump’s vision of prosperity at home and peace abroad is fully realized.” “I’d like to express my sincere thank you to H.R.H. Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and H.E. Bandar Alkhorayef for weeks of productive dialogue that have made this significant milestone possible. Together, we’re building a future of affordable, reliable, and secure energy for the United States, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and our allies around the world.” Background: The MOU for energy cooperation, signed by Secretary Wright and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy, H.R.H. Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, explores the potential for innovation, development, deployment of energy infrastructure in the two countries, and providing access to clean cooking solutions in developing countries. The MOU also highlights the intent to collaborate in various fields including petroleum refining

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) regulator is calling for nominations for potential carbon storage locations on the UK continental shelf (UKCS). The NSTA said the process “builds momentum” in the UK carbon capture and storage (CCS) sector following the awarding of permits for the HyNet industrial cluster. The regulator issued three carbon storage permits to Italian firm Eni for the £2 billion Liverpool Bay CCS project earlier this year. The HyNet approval came after the NSTA issued permits for the £4bn BP and Equinor-led Northern Endurance Partnership in Teesside last year. The advancement of the two so-called Track-1 CCS clusters followed the UK government pledging nearly £22bn towards the sector over the next 25 years. In addition, the industry is also calling for the UK government to provide similar backing for Track-2 projects including Harbour Energy’s Viking CCS and the Acorn Project in Scotland. Harbour cited slow progress on Track-2 support as part of the reason for its decision to cut 250 jobs from its Aberdeen headquarters last week. Meanwhile, Acorn developer Storegga has warned delays to Track-2 means the UK is at risk of falling behind Norway and the US in developing a commercial CCS sector. Outside of Track-1 and Track-2, the NSTA completed the world’s first ever carbon storage licensing round in 2023. North Sea operator Perenco recently completed its first UK CO2 injection after securing a license in the NSTA round. UK carbon storage In opening its call for carbon storage nominations, the NSTA said companies will be required to submit spatial data and provide a high-level project description. This will allow the regulator, alongside Crown Estate Scotland and The Crown Estate, to consider any spatial planning interactions in areas like offshore wind, the NSTA said. The NSTA said the pre-application process should encourage offshore firms