For the next phase of its grid connections reform, the UK National Energy System Operator (NESO) will ‘pause’ new grid connection applications from 29 January.
In December 2024, NESO put forward its proposals for grid connection reform to be approved by Ofgem. NESO proposes the reformed connections process and entry to the reformed connections queue should be based on a combination of project ‘readiness’ and ‘strategic alignment’.
NESO has now announced that it is no longer possible to deliver connections reforms in parallel with the existing connections process—in 2023/24, it received over 1,700 applications to connect to the national electricity transmission system.
The operator received approval from the energy regulator, Ofgem, to implement new arrangements that will pause applications received after 29 January. NESO says this will enable resources to be dedicated to delivering connections reforms at pace across 2025.
Matt Vickers, director of connections reform for NESO, said the transitional arrangement is “critical” to delivering the planned reforms.
He added: “To reorder the queue, we need to start from a stable base. This short pause in applications will allow us to work with colleagues across the network companies to prepare for the new processes we need to bring forward the electricity projects needed for the delivery of clean power by 2030 and beyond.”
Transmission operators weighed in on the news, with John Twomey, director of customer connections at National Grid Electricity Transmission commenting that the pause shows that “collectively with government and Ofgem, our industry is delivering the change that is needed to get the right projects connected at the right time as part of a strategically planned net zero electricity network”.
NESO issues urgent TIA proposal
Yesterday, NESO issued a proposal that would see the transmission impact assessment (TIA) threshold rise from 1MW to 5MW.
It has been raised as an urgent modification in the hopes that the change, CMP446: Increasing the lower threshold in England and Wales for Evaluation of TIA, can be made before the grid connection reforms promised for this year.
It will also help to ease the new connections process, which proposes that projects under the lower limit evaluation of TIA thresholds do not have to go through the Gate 2 process.
National Grid Electricity Transmission (the transmission owner for England and Wales) initially suggested the modification, Shraiya Thapa of law firm Freeths told Current± in a recent interview.
According to NESO, “implementation of this modification before the Gate 2 window opens will release around 400 distributed generation projects from having to demonstrate Gate 2 compliance or alignment with Clean Power 2030 targets.”