NESO has confirmed a new pipeline of deliverable, shovel-ready energy projects that will be prioritised for connection to the electricity networks, unlocking a potential £40bn in clean investment annually.

After the old queue for grid access grew tenfold in five years, reaching over 700GW, around four times Great Britain’s projected need by 2030, NESO has restructured the pipeline, so that now 283GW of generation and storage capacity and 99GW of transmission-connected demand can be delivered.

This defined set of deliverable projects will form a new pipeline as the system moves from a first-come, first-served model to one that prioritises projects readiness.

Following today’s notifications, the first batch of protected projects scheduled to connect in 2026/2027 will begin receiving formal offers with confirmed connection dates throughout December and into the new year, with remaining offers to be finalised by Q3 next year.

Projects seeking to reapply for inclusion in the connections process will be able to do so from late 2026. To qualify, they must demonstrate both readiness to progress and strategic alignment with the Government’s Clean Power Action Plan.

Commenting, RenewableUK's head of flexibility and grid, Barnaby Wharton, said: "Reform of the queue for grid connections has been necessary to ensure that renewable energy projects which are ready to connect are prioritised, and that zombie projects are weeded out. This is vital to speed up the decarbonisation of the UK’s power system, which will stabilise our electricity bills.”

---