The UK government has unveiled plans for a new Energy Independence Bill as part of the legislative programme announced during the King’s Speech, placing energy security and clean power deployment at the centre of its long-term economic strategy.

The legislation forms part of a wider package of more than 35 bills aimed at building what the government described as “a stronger and fairer Britain”, while responding to mounting geopolitical instability, energy price volatility and pressure on living costs.

Energy security at the core of the legislative agenda

Ahead of the official speech, the Prime Minister’s Office said the Energy Independence Bill would help the UK “get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster” by accelerating clean, homegrown power generation and the electrification of the wider economy.

According to the government, the bill will give ministers “more power to tackle the affordability crisis and speed up the delivery of clean energy technologies and vital grid infrastructure”. The measures are intended to strengthen the country’s resilience to global energy shocks while supporting economic growth and investment.

Clean energy to national security

During the King’s Speech delivered in the House of Lords, King Charles III framed energy independence as a strategic national security priority in an increasingly volatile global context.

“My Ministers believe that energy independence must be a long-term goal of national security and that the nation’s energy security requires long-term investment and reform, as demonstrated by recent events in the Middle East,” the speech stated.

The King added that expanding domestic clean energy production would help shield the UK economy from external threats and geopolitical disruptions. “Increased production of clean British energy will help to ensure that enemies of the United Kingdom cannot attack the economic security of the British people,” the speech said.

The government confirmed that ministers will introduce an Energy Independence Bill “to scale-up homegrown renewable energy and protect living standards for the long-term”.

UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband linked the proposal directly to the impact of recent fossil fuel-driven energy crises. “After the second fossil fuel crisis in five years, it’s clear that clean power is the only route to energy security,” Miliband said. “The Energy Independence Bill is the next step in our mission: tackling the affordability crisis, creating thousands of jobs and delivering energy security.”

RenewableUK calls for planning and investment reforms

Industry association RenewableUK welcomed the announcement and urged the government to use the bill to reduce the cost of deploying renewable energy projects across the country.

RenewableUK CEO Tara Singh said the legislation represented “a real opportunity to cut electricity bills and strengthen energy security by further lowering the cost of building renewables”.

She called for measures to remove avoidable planning delays, reform the tax treatment of wind projects to reduce financing costs, and legislate for a national hydrogen network capable of supporting long-duration energy storage. “The prize of getting this right is cheaper, more secure energy built here in Britain, and less exposure to gas price shocks beyond our control,” Singh said.