Electricity Grid Connection Delays
Recent grid connection reforms failing to reduce queue times, which continue to lengthen, hindering energy infrastructure development.
Source spread
Where this theme appears
This theme appears across 3 independent accountability sources, so the source mix matters as much as the headline total.
154 committee recs
1 LGO/SPSO decision
Browse by source
Source-grouped records are useful for tracing where a concern came from. Large sections show the 50 strongest matches for that source; counts still show the full theme total.
Select committee recommendations(154)— showing 50 strongest matches
#33 —
Recommendation: As well as considering the grid in Wales as part of a Great Britain enterprise, the UK Government must recognise the distinctive challenges and opportunities associated with the grid in Wales. The UK Government should engage directly and regularly with …
Response attribution not verified
#32 —
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#31 —
Recommendation: The grid network has been built piecemeal on the basis of the energy needs of the nation over time. The energy system in the UK is changing and electricity grid network design needs to adapt to meet this change. We …
Response attribution not verified
#30 —
Recommendation: In order to utilise the opportunities for renewable energy generation in Wales a system of anticipatory investment in grid infrastructure needs to be created and implemented urgently. In the government response to this report, we request further information on the …
Response attribution not verified
#3 —
Recommendation: To ensure that communities and business in Wales can decarbonise in line with government targets, grid infrastructure must be able to meet the projected increase in demand for electricity. The evidence we received suggested that the grid in Wales will …
Response attribution not verified
#13 —
Recommendation: To improve investment into the UK, the Government should focus on the factor conditions rather than government-to-government deals. These are competitive energy costs, faster grid connections, expeditious planning processes, and governance simplicity for investors. We reiterate the recommendations in our …
Response status not verified
#11 —
Recommendation: The lack of progress towards the delivery of the 8GW of community energy by 2030 highlights the need for the Government to reduce the disproportionately high costs and long delays community energy projects face when seeking grid connections. (Conclusion, Paragraph …
Response status not verified
#10 —
Recommendation: The grid connection reforms process has not benefitted community energy. The regulatory framework disproportionately disadvantages community energy projects compared to commercial developers and jeopardises their financial viability. The lack of a regulatory definition, ownership agnosticism and the absence of clear …
Response status not verified
#10 —
Recommendation: Grid capacity is one of the biggest barriers to achieving Clean Power by
Response status not verified
#13 —
Recommendation: The UK Government should focus on maintaining a close working relationship with the Welsh Government, particularly in regard to major energy systems challenges such a grid capacity and port infrastructure. To facilitate effective collaboration, where renewable energy projects in Wales …
Response attribution not verified
#2 —
Recommendation: The grid is critical for renewable energy to reach consumers. Urgent investment is needed in the grid to ensure that net zero targets are met. The grid needs to be reinforced and expanded to ensure that renewable energy generated in …
Response attribution not verified
#29 —
Recommendation: The UK Government should use National Grid ESO’s Future Energy Scenarios to work with energy companies and grid infrastructure owners to determine areas where anticipatory investment in grid infrastructure would be justified to achieve net zero targets. Where anticipatory investment …
Response attribution not verified
#24 —
Recommendation: We recommend that the Government engage directly with community energy projects in Wales to understand the difficulties they face connecting to the grid. The UK Government should lead a working group made up of the Welsh Government, grid infrastructure owners, …
Response attribution not verified
#23 —
Recommendation: We have heard that community energy projects face specific difficulties in connecting to the grid, and that the UK Government is not aware of those difficulties.
Response attribution not verified
#9 —
Recommendation: Upfront connection costs can be prohibitive and prevent the development of energy projects. This results in a “chicken and egg” situation whereby developers wait for other developers to commit to the funding of connection costs.
Response attribution not verified
#8 —
Recommendation: We note the work by the Welsh Government to develop a long-term plan for energy networks in Wales and call on the UK Government to explain how it is engaging with this. The UK Government needs to explain how it …
Response attribution not verified
#7 —
Recommendation: The Committee welcomes that Celtic Sea projects have been included in the list of infrastructure projects in the UK Government’s Growth Plan and notes the recent decision by The Crown Estate to seek to accelerate the leasing process where possible. …
Response attribution not verified
#6 —
Recommendation: We recognise the strengths of an electricity grid that serves the whole of Great Britain. However, we conclude that there are distinct challenges and opportunities relating to grid infrastructure in Wales that require specific focus and intervention from the UK …
Response attribution not verified
#5 —
Recommendation: We recommend that the UK Government task the new Electricity Networks Commissioner to determine the grid infrastructure necessary to enable industry, communities and businesses in Wales to decarbonise heat and transport in line with net zero targets.
Response attribution not verified
#4 —
Recommendation: While we understand that the UK Government must consider the energy and network needs of the UK as a whole, we consider that it would be inequitable if the UK were to benefit from Wales’ natural resources for renewable energy …
Response attribution not verified
#45 — Enable National Grid ESO to require projects meet strengthened grid connection milestones.
Recommendation: The UK’s “first come first served” approach to grid connections is failing to deliver the volume of connections required. Projects which may be speculative or slow-moving risk being prioritised over those that are more viable. While we welcome National Grid …
Response attribution not verified
#42 — Accelerate investment in future grid capacity ahead of need to prevent generation curtailment costs.
Recommendation: We join many other organisations from across the sector in calling on Ministers, Ofgem and network owners to help recover lost ground by accelerating investment in future grid capacity now ahead of need. The increasing costs associated with turning off …
Response attribution not verified
#41 — Inadequate grid network capacity and connection delays are hampering low-carbon power delivery.
Recommendation: A lack of network capacity and delays to securing grid connections are together hampering the delivery of low-carbon power and driving potential investments overseas. For too long, transmission and distribution network owners have been able to delay or avoid the …
Response attribution not verified
#24 — Government delay in shore power policy for UK ports is unwelcome during grid connection challenges.
Recommendation: It is regrettable that the Government has changed course on its policy on the provision of shore power to UK ports. In a period where grid connections are currently at a premium and demand for electricity supply is increasing, the …
Response attribution not verified
#19 — Electricity grid connection processes remain unfit for purpose, delaying charge point rollout
Recommendation: As with motorway service areas, many of these locations are limited by the strength of the local electricity network and the ability to enhance and connect to it. The Government recognises that the processes to receive electricity grid connections are …
Response attribution not verified
#18 — Complex electricity network decisions demand earlier strategic settlement and community involvement.
Recommendation: The complex judgments involved in evaluating different options for electricity network infrastructure not only raise a strong argument for settling these strategic considerations at an earlier stage, but also heighten the need for affected communities to be involved in those …
Response attribution not verified
#17 — Review removing specific electricity distribution infrastructure from NSIP regime for faster delivery.
Recommendation: The Government should review whether some types of electricity distribution infrastructure should be removed from the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime and instead consented under section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989, to speed up delivery critical to Clean Power …
Response attribution not verified
#11 — Strengthen NPS guidance on grid connection weight and clarify future connection prospects assessment.
Recommendation: The National Policy Statements should give significant weight to the availability of a grid connection, as a paramount consideration in determining where electricity generation projects can be located. However, by the same token, where a project has not yet secured …
Response attribution not verified
#10 — Review interaction between development consent and grid connection application processes for greater coordination.
Recommendation: There needs to be more coordination between the application processes for development consent and a grid connection, given that each is highly relevant to the other and both will be influenced by the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, the Strategic …
Response attribution not verified
#11 — Strengthen National Policy Statement for Ports to support shore power and electric vessel charging
Recommendation: The Government should strengthen the National Policy Statement for Ports to better support the provision of shore power and electric vessel charging infrastructure as decarbonisation options, recognising the critical interface between ports and the energy grid. It would also assist …
Response attribution not verified
#12 —
Recommendation: The 8 GW target explicitly recognises the central role of community energy in the Clean Power Mission. A commitment to delivering it requires shifting away from ownership agnosticism to grant community energy a special status and help community energy projects …
Response status not verified
#24 —
Recommendation: The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, having assessed a number of different scenarios for meeting net zero by 2050, has estimated that electric cars will increase electricity demand by around 20% by 2050 and we wanted to understand …
Response attribution not verified
#11 —
Recommendation: The electric vehicle charging infrastructure strategy must set out: a) how the £950 million rapid charging fund will be spent to facilitate the implementation of charging infrastructure; and b) the measures that the Government is taking to identify and address …
Response attribution not verified
#10 —
Recommendation: Project Rapid, which specifies the number of charge points on the strategic road network by 2023 and beyond, is welcome. However, the spending priorities for the £950 million rapid charging fund are currently obscure. Given the time and expense involved …
Response attribution not verified
#17 —
Recommendation: The UK Government must recognise that Wales’ increase in renewable energy development and generation may be significantly hindered by grid constraints if action is not taken. To mitigate this risk, the UK Government must work in collaboration Renewable energy in …
Response attribution not verified
#12 —
Recommendation: Effective collaboration and co-operation between the UK and Welsh governments will be essential if Wales is to achieve net zero by 2050. Significant issues such as grid capacity and port infrastructure, in particular, require cross-government working if they are to …
Response attribution not verified
#18 —
Recommendation: We asked the Department when we will see progress on the ground with regards to wayleaves. It told us that although the Electronics Communications Code, which is where the wayleaves issue is addressed, was reformed in 2017, it can go …
Response attribution not verified
#17 —
Recommendation: Stakeholders also suggested that there were areas where the Department’s approach to removing barriers to rolling out gigabit-capable infrastructure could be strengthened further.53 This was particularly the case regarding “wayleaves,” which are contractual agreements between landowners and telecommunications providers about …
Response attribution not verified
#11 —
Recommendation: The Department has yet to sign the gigabit infrastructure contracts with commercial suppliers under which it would provide public subsidy for them to build in areas that would otherwise not get coverage as they are less commercially viable.31 The dates …
Response attribution not verified
#18 —
Recommendation: The UK Government should work with National Grid ESO, NGET, the DNOs and Ofgem to revise consenting processes to align the allocation of grid capacity with the application for planning permission. National Grid’s work should be expedited on reviewing commercial …
Response attribution not verified
#16 —
Recommendation: We are encouraged to see the new Electricity Networks Commissioner appointed with a remit to reduce timelines and look forward to understanding in more detail how this will be achieved. However, it is not clear that the UK Government appreciates …
Response attribution not verified
#15 —
Recommendation: There is a multiplicity of different bodies involved in securing planning consent for grid infrastructure and this process needs to be streamlined. We welcome the commitment to cutting processing times by fifty per cent and appreciate the challenge that this …
Response attribution not verified
#10 —
Recommendation: We are encouraged that Ofgem is reviewing connection arrangements and we look forward to hearing more about the progress being made in the run up to 1 April 2023. We consider that due to the tight timeframes set by government …
Response attribution not verified
#1 —
Recommendation: We have heard that there are constraints on both the distribution and transmission grids in Wales. Julie James MS told us Wales does not have the grid capacity it needs “right now”. However, Rt Hon Greg Hands MP told us …
Response attribution not verified
#9 —
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#47 — Require Ofgem to ensure RIIO-ED2 mechanisms enable distribution network investment for low-carbon rollout.
Recommendation: We recommend that when a need for investment in the distribution network becomes clear, Ofgem ensures the uncertainty mechanisms included in the RIIO-ED2 framework are applied efficiently. Should these prove inadequate to respond to a rapid roll-out of low-carbon technologies, …
Response attribution not verified
#44 — Establish a Minister-led infrastructure delivery group to expedite national network infrastructure build at pace.
Recommendation: We recommend that Ofgem sees the Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) framework as a starting point to accelerate the delivery of the necessary grid upgrades required to meet the Government’s 2035 target. This work should continue beyond 2035 to ensure …
Response attribution not verified
#16 — Delays in grid connections for renewable projects impede energy security and investor confidence.
Recommendation: Delivery of renewable energy projects at pace, and securing their connection to the transmission network, is essential to achieving the generation capacity required under the Government’s strategy for energy security. The connection of generation capacity to the grid is being …
Response attribution not verified
#15 — Limited visibility of grid connections queue; recent reforms may initially lengthen waiting times.
Recommendation: Overall visibility of the grid connections queue is limited, and it is possible that the immediate effect of the reforms introduced has been to lengthen the connections queue as developers react to the new regime. While we welcome the Ofgem …
Response attribution not verified
#14 — Recent grid connection reforms have not yet reduced queue times, which continue to lengthen.
Recommendation: Ofgem and the Energy System Operator have sought to improve grid connection timeframes through reforming grid queue procedures and introducing milestones. Early evidence suggests that the reforms introduced to date appear not to have yet had the immediate and radical …
Response attribution not verified
Independent reviews(3)
Helm Energy Review — Rec 7
The FiTs and other low-carbon CfDs should be gradually phased out, and merged into a unified equivalent firm power (EFP) capacity auction. The costs of intermittency will then rest with those who cause them, and there will be a major incentive for the intermittent generators to contract with and invest …
Other
Barker Land Use Planning Review — Rec 10
To improve the framework for decision-making for major infrastructure to support a range of objectives, including the timely delivery of renewable energy: • Statements of Strategic Objectives for energy, transport, waste proposals (including energy from waste) and strategic water proposals (such as new reservoirs) should be drawn up where they …
Other
Skidmore Review — Rec 41
Future System Operator (FSO) should take forward a role in setting out a system plan for hydrogen, considering the interactions between hydrogen storage and balancing renewables for the decarbonised grid. Government, with advice from the FSO, takes decisive leadership on naming priority areas for minimum viable pipeline and storage infrastructure, …
Other