Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Accepted
Paragraph: 61
We recommended in our July 2021 report on zero emission vehicles that some of the...
Recommendation
We recommended in our July 2021 report on zero emission vehicles that some of the £950 million rapid charging fund be used to provide fully future-proofed grid capacity, and that the Government work with National Grid to map the electricity network to assess potential weak areas. In October 2021 a proof-of-concept version of a National Energy Systems Map was published. We reiterate our previous recommendation that this kind of information be used to develop a plan to prevent ‘not-spots’ in grid capacity from emerging.
Government Response Summary
The government accepts the recommendation, highlighting the Rapid Charging Fund (RCF) for grid upgrades, the role of electricity network operators in managing EV demand, and Ofgem's £22.2 billion upfront funding for networks including £3.1 billion for EV readiness.
Paragraph Reference:
61
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government accepts these recommendations. The Government is committed to ensuring EV charging infrastructure is accessible, affordable, and secure for all EV drivers. The Government’s RCF will fund a portion of the cost of upgrading the electricity grid at strategic locations where it is currently prohibitively expensive to do so, ensuring that no part of the strategic road network is left behind on chargepoint provision. Electricity network operators are responsible for ensuring the electricity networks in both urban and rural areas can cope with current and future demand from EVs. Network operators are incentivised to do this by the regulatory framework set out by Ofgem, the independent regulator. Ofgem use price controls, known as RIIO, to determine the revenues network operators recover, investment they make and performance standards they must deliver. As part of the RIIO process, network operators forecast likely take-up of EVs, in order to shape investment plans for reinforcing the network in areas where it is needed. As part of the upcoming electricity distribution network price control, Ofgem have enabled £22.2 billion of upfront funding for networks, including £3.1 billion specifically allocated for network upgrades to ensure the network is ready for low-carbon technologies such as EVs. It is critical that system operators, network companies and other actors have visibility of the energy assets on the system, to support decisions on strategic investment that affect when and where network infrastructure is built, live network operations, and security of supply. As well as monitoring the progress of the National Energy System Map (NESM) project, the Government is delivering relevant innovation programmes through the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), including on Automatic Asset Registration.