Starmer moves to align UK with tougher EU net zero targets under electricity market talks
Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to bind Britain more closely to the European Union’s climate agenda as part of negotiations to rejoin the bloc’s internal electricity market, a move that could significantly tighten the UK’s net zero obligations.
The Prime Minister and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband are seeking closer integration with the EU’s borderless electricity system, which treats member states and Norway as a single power market. However, EU officials have made clear that access would come with conditions, including alignment with the bloc’s renewable energy targets.
Under EU rules, 42.5 per cent of total energy consumption must come from renewable sources by 2030, with an aspiration to reach 45 per cent. By contrast, renewables currently account for around 22 per cent of the UK’s total energy mix. Meeting EU requirements would therefore require Britain to accelerate decarbonisation well beyond electricity generation, extending rapidly into heating, transport and industry.
Critics argue that, in effect, this would double the scale of the UK’s existing net zero targets. Electricity makes up only about a fifth of Britain’s total energy consumption, while transport, heating and industrial use account for roughly three-quarters. Despite ambitious plans to decarbonise the power grid by 2030, the UK still derives about 75 per cent of its overall energy from oil and gas.
The prospect of closer alignment has sparked a political backlash. Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, accused the Prime Minister of “surrendering control of our energy system to bureaucrats in Brussels”, warning that ministers would be forced to cut emissions regardless of the impact on household bills or business competitiveness.
The proposals emerged in a technical document quietly published on the Cabinet Office website, which states that any electricity agreement should include an indicative renewable energy target for the UK that is “comparable” to that of the EU. Such a commitment would place UK energy policy under EU jurisdiction in key areas, raising concerns about sovereignty as well as feasibility.
Energy analysts have questioned whether the targets are achievable. David Turver, an independent energy analyst, said that hitting a 42.5 or 45 per cent renewable share by 2030 would be “totally unachievable” without either dramatically suppressing energy demand or triggering widespread deindustrialisation.
Meeting the EU benchmark would likely require a rapid rollout of heat pumps to replace gas boilers, higher blending of biofuels into petrol and diesel, and even faster adoption of electric vehicles — all of which could impose significant costs on households and businesses.
Supporters of closer alignment argue that rejoining the electricity market would bring practical benefits. Britain left the EU’s internal market in 2021 following Brexit and now trades power with Europe through a more cumbersome system. UK traders must buy interconnector capacity and electricity separately and cannot use EU optimisation algorithms, a process that industry estimates adds up to £370 million a year in costs.
The UK is increasingly reliant on imported electricity, with power from France, Norway, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands flowing through seven subsea interconnectors. On some days, nearly a fifth of Britain’s electricity is generated overseas, and at times more than half of the power consumed in London and the south-east comes from France.
Barnaby Wharton, head of grid policy at RenewableUK, said closer integration with Europe could reduce costs and improve efficiency by allowing power to flow more smoothly across borders.
A Cabinet Office spokesman said the agreed text exchanged between the UK and EU would form the basis for further talks in 2026, adding that closer cooperation on electricity could help lower costs, strengthen energy security and drive investment. However, the government declined to comment in detail while negotiations are ongoing.
