Under proposals published 14th February, projects would be fast-tracked if they can be operational quickly and are needed to hit the government’s clean power targets for 2030. This new system, which prioritises projects that are ‘ready’ and ‘needed’ would see accelerated new offers made by the end of the year, with the first connected and operational from 2026.
“This is a step change in tackling delays and shortening queues on what is currently an outdated and unwieldy system” said Akshay Kaul, Ofgem’s Director General for Infrastructure. “It is key to achieving the Clean Power mission by 2030. Britain will not get a clean power grid by 2030 unless an unprecedented volume of new renewable power and storage is connected to electricity networks – that’s why we’re cutting back the red tape and replacing the out-of-date connections system. It will also help speed up connections for public services, including housing, hospitals and EV charging stations, as well as new industries like data centres which are key to boosting economic growth.”
The Government’s Clean Power Action Plan requires current capacity on the grid doubling within five years, requiring investment to be unlocked, new infrastructure accelerated, and renewable technology brought in at scale - so it is vital those projects that are most viable and needed are connected as quickly as possible.
Ofgem’s ‘minded-to’ decisions aim to break down barriers to ending Britain’s fossil fuel dependency, while keeping the costs of the energy transition under control for consumers.
These proposed reforms are the result of over two years of activity across the energy industry covering consultations, code modification working groups and wider engagement to create these proposals submitted to Ofgem by the National Energy System Operator (NESO). This collaboration reflects the commitment across the energy sector to deliver a new more efficient, connections process to deliver Clean Power by 2030 and net zero by 2050.
“We have enough energy projects in the grid connection queue to deliver clean power by 2030, but many are stuck behind speculative schemes, leading to delays of up to 10 years” added Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. “These reforms are critical to deliver clean power by 2030 , which will bring forward an estimated £200 billion of private investment. Our Clean Power Action Plan will fix the broken ‘first come first served’ system and these changes will mean a targeted approach which prioritises quicker connections for the right projects in the right place, so Britain can accelerate towards a new era of clean electricity.”
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