What Will Greg Jackson Bring to the Cabinet Office Board?
Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy Group, has taken on the role of Non-Executive Member of the Cabinet Office Board.
His three-year term starts on 21 July 2025 and extends to 2028.
This appointment aims to help integrate renewable energy insight into governmental policy-making.
The board itself provides strategic leadership, with Non-Executives like Jackson offering independent expertise and critique to ensure the successful implementation of pivotal policies and programmes.
Sustainability expertise in government
In 2015, Jackson founded Octopus Energy, which has since become a leading renewable energy provider in the UK.
It manages a significant €6bn ($6.8bn) worth of generation capacity and powers more than four million homes.
Within three years of its founding, Octopus serviced nearly 200,000 customers and cemented a vital energy procurement contract with Shell.
Jackson's leadership has guided the company’s expansion into 18 countries.
During the fiscal year from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, Octopus generated 100% of its electricity from zero carbon sources.
He was given a CBE award in 2024 for his contributions to the energy sector.
Exposing the cost of wasted clean energy
Among other innovations, Octopus has introduced the "Wasted Wind Ticker", a live tracking system that highlights the economic impact of wind farms being switched off due to grid limitations.
The company's research identifies more than £650m ($881m) of wasted wind energy as of July 2025, reflecting a 50% increase over the same time the previous year.
Due to inadequate infrastructure to manage the influx of renewable power, fossil fuel plants are sometimes activated, resulting in higher costs and emissions.
To tackle these challenges, Octopus proposed a zonal pricing system that would reflect electricity prices based on regional supply and demand disparities.
This approach promises to address regional imbalances, reduce dependency on inefficient infrastructure and foster long-term cost reductions while supporting a robust clean energy framework.
“Britain needs more infrastructure, but investments must be smart and efficient; otherwise, they’re not an investment, they’re waste,” says Greg.
“Zonal pricing removes the need for tens of thousands of pylons, saving £27bn (US$36.6bn).
“Reducing the number of new pylons we need would not only save enormous amounts of money, but help maintain public support for clean energy.
“We shouldn’t let a handful of highly profitable giants, with the most powerful lobbyists, block these efficiencies and keep an increasingly expensive, broken system in place.
“Zonal pricing is not difficult – it’s the proven way to keep costs down and is the norm across much of the OECD.
“The longer the UK stays an outlier, the more British citizens will pay the price and the less competitive our industry will be.”
Towards a more transparent energy future
Octopus is pioneering projects from massive solar installations wind farms to community-initiated renewable projects:
- Octopus Energy oversees €6.8bn ($6.8bn) of global assets.
- Its renewable generation capacity exceeds 4.4 GW, with 3.9 GW coming from renewables.
- It powers more than 2.6 million homes annually with their renewable resources.
Octopus's investments extend to energy projects and companies focused on transitional energy solutions across 20 countries and 18 different technologies.
As one of Europe’s preeminent renewable investors, it manages more than 270 large-scale green projects.
These initiatives collectively deliver a renewable capacity of 3.9 GW, enough to power 2.6 million homes each year.
