National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) has announced plans to release 10GW of grid capacity for renewable energy generators and battery storage projects.
The move follows months of work with key stakeholders, including National Grid ESO, Ofgem, and the UK government, aimed at speeding up the integration of low-carbon technologies.
The new agreement with the ESO offers projects that require additional transmission network reinforcement the chance to connect under an interim, non-firm connection agreement. In return, these interim agreements allow some projects to be curtailed when supply exceeds demand on the grid. In the long-term, these arrangements will be replaced with longer term connections.
On 4 September, grid consultancy Roadnight Taylor wrote to Ofgem on behalf of energy scheme developers, calling for a reform of the mechanisms for paying for supergrid transformer reinforcement.
NGED also announced that from October, the current “first come, first served” connection model would come into force, with a “first ready, first connected” approach.
Cordi O’Hara, president of NGED said: “Making it quicker and easier for our customers to connect to the network is a priority for us. With the volume of new connection applications soaring as the UK moves at pace to deliver Net Zero, we know a ‘fit for the future’ connections process will be vital to meet current and future demand.”
“The changes we’ve made will not just allow some customers to accelerate their connections dates but will allow a more agile approach to managing connections requests. Reforms like these are a pivotal part of the country’s ability to install the renewable generation it needs to to decarbonise the electricity system by 2035,” O’Hara added.
National Grid said they “will be contacting customers and asking them to express an interest in accelerating their connection through the new arrangements. We will also be holding a series of webinars and engagement events throughout September and October.”
In August, National Grid ESO and Ofgem unveiled the next steps for the Transmission Entry Capacity amnesty which could remove 8GW of non-viable projects from the grid connection queue.
