Recommendation 13

HM Government Acknowledged

The committee is right to highlight the importance of network resilience. The transmission network is designed and managed to ensure it is protected from potential risks, such as adverse weather events, and runs at approximately 99.99% reliability.16 Because of this, recommending undergrounding of transmission network infrastructure within draft EN-5 on the basis of resilience would be unnecessary, and it could slow the delivery of critical infrastructure required to meet net zero targets. Additionally, this would ultimately need to be paid for through consumer energy bills and undergrounding can cost up to 10 times more than overhead lines. 16 https://www.nationalgrid.com/electricity-transmission/document/131776/download The storms experienced in the UK at the end of 2021 have not caused many issues on the transmission network, with the impact overwhelmingly being on the lower voltage distribution networks. The NSIP regime does not have a significant bearing on the distribution network. Draft EN-5 provides guidance for infrastructure being built above 132kV (and over 2km), which covers the transmission network and only small parts (less than 5%) of the distribution network. The Energy Emergencies Executive Committee’s review into these storms was published on 9 June 202217 and covers both electricity transmission and distribution. The final report sets out a range of actions to improve the resilience of the electricity system from future storms, and improvements to ensure customers quickly receive compensation payments. An implementation group has been established, to oversee and scrutinise the delivery of each action and its associated outcomes. Great Britain’s electricity infrastructure is highly resilient and designed to operate in hot weather. In the event that energy infrastructure is impacted by extreme heat, the energy sector has long-standing plans and procedures to respond and repair any damage to the infrastructure. 17 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/storm-arwen-electricity-distribution-disruption-review