Source · Select Committees · Welsh Affairs Committee
Recommendation 32
32
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 153
Due to the urgency of the situation the UK Government needs to take control of...
Recommendation
Due to the urgency of the situation the UK Government needs to take control of electricity grid network design by setting deadlines and targets for Ofgem, grid Grid capacity in Wales 41 infrastructure owners and other significant bodies including National Grid ESO. The UK Government needs to provide the leadership and strategic planning to deliver a complicated set of changes across multiple bodies. This will involve taking a ‘round- table’ approach with regular meetings between stakeholders.
Government Response Summary
The government states its commitment to delivering a secure, resilient, net-zero network, engaging with stakeholders and speeding up planning processes, but provides no specific commitments beyond ongoing engagement and existing plans.
Paragraph Reference:
153
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government is committed to unlocking the required investment to deliver a secure, resilient, net zero-ready network in Wales and across Britain, engaging across industry with a range of stakeholders to do so in time-appropriate manner. Strategic planning will be key to speeding up both planning consent processes and regulatory approvals by Ofgem, by providing clearer, upfront indications of strategic infrastructure needs. The Government is taking a leading role in this and set out in the BESS how we will move towards a more strategically planned approach for electricity networks, including the publication of the HND, as described above in Recommendation 3 and 13. The new strategic approach to network planning will provide a blueprint for the network, including upfront consideration of community and environmental impacts. This should provide more certainty in the planning and consenting process, reducing consenting times and risk for project development. This will help ensure strategic investment can be delivered by network companies in Wales and across Britain in a timely fashion. In the longer-term we intend to take a more strategic approach to the deployment of offshore wind and associated transmission. This will allow environmental considerations to be taken into account more easily earlier in the process. As a first step towards this the Crown Estate is conducting a Habitat Regulations Assessment on the leasing areas in the Celtic Sea ahead of the FLOW leasing round. In taking this forward we continue to engage regularly with a wide range of stakeholders from across the relevant sectors to set objectives, review progress and identify options for improvement.