Under current proposals, by 2035 all electricity is expected to be generated using clean sources by phasing out gas-fired power stations in favour of wind, solar and nuclear power.
But the NAO warned that the UK’s net-zero strategy predicts a 60 per cent increase in electricity demand − due to modes of transport and heating in buildings switching to electricity from fossil fuels – which could make it more difficult to fully decarbonise.
Last month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak split the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) into two, which included the creation of the Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) department.
The original plan was for the BEIS to draw up a clear pathway to decarbonisation by 2035 by October 2022 at the latest.
But the department was forced to focus its attention on responding to the record-high energy bills, forcing it to scale back its work on coordinating long-term power sector decarbonisation.
The lack...