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Making the economic case for affordable British power
27/7/2026
8 min read
Feature
The launch of a report by electricity utility SSE in June 2026 brought together industry experts, consumer advocates and policymakers to map out the future of the UK power grid. The launch focused heavily on the practical steps required to build domestic generation and protect households from volatile international energy prices. Kristy Jooste, Senior Content Officer, Energy Institute, was there.
The report, Powering affordable, secure energy, demonstrates how investing in home-grown power directly protects consumers. Opening the event, Martin Pibworth, Chief Executive of SSE, emphasised this by saying that domestic energy generation would protect the public from external economic shocks that increase household bills.
‘Energy affordability has clearly always mattered, but perhaps never more so than now – as we deal with the impacts of global instability on household bills, business costs and the wider economy.’ Pibworth explained that global events continue to reveal structural weaknesses in the UK energy network. ‘Over the past few years, we’ve been reminded of how exposed the UK is to changes in the national market where gas prices spike globally, whether due to conflict or supply disruption. Increased household bills quickly follow and – just as they begin to settle – it feels like another shot comes around the corner.’
The numbers back up this concern. He explained that global commodity prices (and inflation) account for 70% of the increase in domestic energy bills since 2017, showing the risks of letting international gas prices determine UK electricity costs. Pibworth stated that expanding domestic renewable power is an effective way to manage national risk. Producing clean energy locally enables the UK to set electricity costs in advance, rather than relying on fluctuating international markets.