Ofgem has confirmed the National Energy System Operator's (NESO) new plan to reform grid connections with clean energy prioritised.

Companies are currently waiting up to 15 years to be connected to the grid leaving promising businesses ‘grid-locked’, and over the last 5 years, the grid connection queue has grown tenfold. Now, so-called ‘zombie’ projects will no longer hold up the queue for connection to the electricity grid to prioritise businesses that can deliver energy security.

Projects that are “ready” and “needed” will be prioritised with new offers, some by the end of the year, cutting waiting times to connect to the grid, with the first projects to benefit from the reforms connected and operational from 2026.

Ofgem CEO, Jonathan Brearley, said: “The proposed connection reforms will supercharge Great Britain’s clean power ambitions with a more targeted approach anticipated to unlock £40bn a year of investment and energise economic growth.”

The Clean Power Action Plan estimated that Clean Power 2030 could require around £40bn of investment on average per year between 2025 to 2030. This includes around £30bn of investment in generation assets per year, estimated by DESNZ, and around £10bn of investment in electricity transmission network assets per year, estimated by NESO.

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