As part of a programme led by National Grid Electricity Transmission called ‘Technical Limits’, Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) have enabled the grid connection offer dates of over 200 clean energy projects to be brought forward.
Networks have sent offers to 203 projects totalling 7.8GW of capacity, more than double the output of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, with an average connection acceleration of 6.5 years.
393 projects are eligible for the programme in total, and a further 190 can receive accelerated offers once they have progressed through the connection offer process.
In March 2024, Reading-based renewables company Enviromena launched the Horsey Levels solar farm in Somerset, the first project from National Grid’s acceleration scheme to be commissioned.
Technical Limits is a collaborative project between the National Grid Electricity Transmission, the Energy Networks Association, the Electricity System Operator (ESO), and the DNOs to help accelerate and reform grid connections.
To deliver the accelerated offers, engineers from National Grid and DNOs carried out detailed analyses of power flows across the boundaries between the transmission and distribution networks.
By agreeing to new power flow limits, DNOs have been able to offer selected projects an accelerated connection date before transmission network reinforcements are complete, on the agreement that the DNO can limit flows from the project under certain operating conditions.
The 203 connection offers issued in the first phase have an average export curtailment of 22% per year and these interim arrangements will be replaced as network capacity increases.
Alice Delahunty, president of National Grid Electricity Transmission, said: “Connecting projects to our transmission network and unlocking capacity at lower voltage distribution networks is a massive priority for us.
“The Technical Limits programme is a fantastic example of cross-industry collaboration. This team effort has delivered an innovative solution to connect schemes more quickly. We are pleased to see the first project connect earlier than expected and look forward to many more.”
An industry-wide effort
A number of countries have experienced challenges with their grid connection queues, as a number of new renewable power projects are brought online, and the UK is no exception.
According to ESO, since October 2022, the transmission connections queue has grown by more than 275GW and has been growing at an average of over 20GW a month for the last 12 months.
The total queue, across transmission and distribution, is likely to exceed 800GW by the end of 2024, over four times the installed capacity that ESO anticipates needing by 2050.
This is why ESO has proposed the ‘First Ready, First Connected’ approach for both new applications and projects that already exist in the queue.
ESO proposed a two-step process for new applications, with an annual application window to reach ‘Gate 1’ and “readiness” criteria to reach ‘Gate 2’. Only projects that meet the Gate 2 criteria will be provided with a queue position.
The long-term connection reforms were first announced in December 2023 and would have then only applied to new connection applications and significant Modification Applications received from January 2025 onwards.
Regulation watchdog Ofgem said in an open letter that it “welcomes the ESO’s proposal to move towards a ‘First Ready, First Connected’ approach” and “looks forward to overseeing how this develops through the upcoming formal industry code change process”.
Ofgem does suggest, however, that the reforms need to be developed alongside a full assessment of risks and benefits and a robust plan for regulatory and operational implementation.
The regulatory body also established its own project, the Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) framework, which seeks to fast-track crucial infrastructure projects. This will enable the UK to meet its target of 50GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030.
Compared to the previous process, the ASTI framework can accelerate necessary project funding decisions by up to two years.
