Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has written to senior executives at several major renewable energy companies, warning them of what he described as growing political, financial and regulatory risks associated with participating in the UK’s upcoming Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 7 (AR7).
In a letter shared publicly on social media, Tice said he had contacted the heads of companies including Octopus Energy, Centrica, RWE, SSE Renewables, Ørsted, ScottishPower, Equinor and Vattenfall. The message, which he referred to as a “Renewable Notice,” cautioned firms against submitting bids under the government’s flagship clean energy subsidy scheme.
“The renewables agenda no longer enjoys cross-party support,” Tice wrote. “As a result, your potential participation in AR7 — and any future auctions based on the Clean Power 2030 framework — carries significant political, financial, and regulatory risk for your shareholders.”
Tice, who serves as MP for Boston and Skegness, argued that Net Zero policies are contributing to rising energy costs and infrastructure burdens for consumers. “Net Stupid Zero is ruining our countryside and economy,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Reform intend to stop it.”
He also warned that if Reform UK were to win the next general election or gain influence through a coalition, the party would aim to cancel contracts awarded through AR7. “If you enter bids in AR7, you do so at your own risk,” he stated. “We will seek to strike down all contracts signed under AR7.”
Tice’s comments come amid heightened uncertainty in the UK renewables sector, which is preparing for AR7 bidding under continued inflationary pressures, supply chain constraints and evolving political dynamics. The CfD scheme is a key mechanism in the UK’s energy transition strategy, offering developers price stability for low-carbon projects such as offshore wind and solar.
The intervention marks a rare political challenge to the UK’s traditionally cross-party support for renewable energy. In the letter, Tice likened the current situation to climate policy shifts in the United States under former President Donald Trump.
Representatives for the companies mentioned in the letter have not publicly responded to the warning.
