Planned renewable energy projects are being hindered due to problems accessing the electricity grid, a new report published by the Environmental Audit Committee has found.
Projects are facing obstacles including slow connections, limited capacity, inappropriate planning regulations and market uncertainty.

Pressure on the grid is high, with the queue to connect containing more than twice the amount of electricity required to meet the Government’s target of decarbonising the energy system by 2035. However, with projects unable to access the grid this target is at risk.

In a bid to speed up the system, Ofgem and the Electricity Systems Operator have asked projects to meet key ‘milestones’ such as securing planning permission. Despite this, the Committee’s report has found that these changes have not yet reduced the connection queue.

In response, the Committee has recommended that the Government and Ofgem monitor and improve initiatives designed to deliver grid connections faster. It has proposed that Ofgem reviews its queue reforms, focusing on advancing projects that are ready to go to the front of the queue.

The report has recommended that the Government needs to address these barriers to long-term storage by investing in infrastructure or reforming policy mechanisms such as the Capacity Market. It has also advised the Government to publish an energy storage plan by 2025 at the latest, to set out the short and long-term energy storage needed for the UK to meet it’s net-zero goals.

Environmental Audit Committee Chair, Philip Dunne MP, said:
“Immediately after the General Election, the Government must address these concerns as a priority, and set out clearly how it will balance achieving net zero goals with delivery of a secure energy supply.”

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