WIREDGOV

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) recently (5 November 2024) published details of its advice to government on the steps needed to transform electricity generation, the transmission grid and other parts of the UK’s energy system in order to deliver the government’s Clean Power 2030 objectives.

The analysis notes that while meeting the 2030 goal will be a “huge challenge”, it is achievable if a number of challenges outlined in the advice are effectively addressed. These includes action on upgrading the transmission network, further reform to speed up connections to the grid, and creating more flexibility in the system overall.

In response, Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission Sir John Armitt recently said:

“This advice provides welcome clarity about what needs to get done to ensure that the UK can deliver clean power by 2030, and honesty too about the scale of the challenge and the significant additional investment required.

“It rightly sets out that a decarbonised energy system will reduce the risk of major gas price shocks, and recognises that greater flexibility in generation and storage, and in consumer behaviours, will be critical to enabling our future electricity landscape – as the Commission set out in our second National Infrastructure Assessment.

“This advice must now be acted upon swiftly and with purpose by government, and that means a step up in the delivery of renewables and networks as well as action to speed up grid connections and reduce barriers in the planning system to enable transmission networks to be built. Only then will investors and industry gain the confidence to deliver these vital enhancements to our electricity system.”

The Commission’s second National Infrastructure Assessment published in October 2023 recognised that the UK will need a reliable electricity system running mostly on renewable power and made a series of recommendations to government on the acceleration of onshore and offshore generation, the development of additional long and short term flexible energy storage, and upgrading the transmission grid, in order to achieve that, as well as action to reduce by half the planning consent times for major national infrastructure projects.

The Commission is undertaking a separate study looking at the changes that may be required in the design and operation of the electricity distribution grid to ensure that it can best support the UK’s net zero energy goals; this is due to be published in early spring 2025.