Genuine success story comes as political pressure mounts to dilute or delay net zero targets.
The latest Energy Trends (September 2025) statistics from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero tell an important story: renewables are now responsible for over 48% of UK electricity generation, with offshore wind and marine energy continuing to climb despite slower new installations. Offshore wind alone supplied around 28% of generation, buoyed by improved capacity factors in the North Sea.
By contrast, coal has almost disappeared, contributing less than 1% of generation, and gas use has fallen by roughly 12% year-on-year, driven by mild weather and increased interconnector imports. The UK’s total fossil fuel demand is now at its lowest since records began in the 1950s.
That’s a genuine success story, one built on decades of policy stability, investment confidence, and technological innovation. But it comes just as political pressure mounts to dilute or delay net zero targets. We’re seeing narratives that frame the energy transition as a burden rather than an opportunity, a costly “green experiment” rather than the foundation of future prosperity.
That’s a mistake. The data show that clean energy isn’t a fringe ideal, it’s already the backbone of the UK’s power system. Every new offshore turbine, every interconnector, every marine demonstrator, is part of a system that’s proving we can decarbonise while maintaining security and affordability.
Rolling back net zero commitments now would not only be economically irrational, it would be strategically self-defeating. Recent allocation rounds highlight the fragility of that progress: the UK’s fifth and sixth CfD auctions saw no offshore wind bids, and the newly launched AR7 round has gone ahead with a reduced budget, underscoring ongoing cost pressures and investor caution across the sector. The transition is happening; the question is whether we lead it or lag behind it.
For the marine research community, this is a pivotal moment. As offshore renewables mature from innovation to national infrastructure, the role of science is shifting, from enabling deployment to optimising coexistence, resilience, and ecosystem recovery. Continued investment in marine observation, modelling, and ecosystem research will be essential to ensure expansion remains sustainable, socially acceptable, and nature positive. The evidence generated now will shape how we balance climate security with ocean health for decades to come.
Read the full report here.