Credit: iStock – Neil Bussey
More than half of ‘ready to go’ clean energy projects waiting for a grid connection have received an offer to connect.
The National Energy System Operator (NESO), working with the Energy Networks Association (ENA) and network operators said connection offers for 713 transmission and distribution projects have been issued for its 2030 pipeline of 1,223 projects.
Last June, NESO changed the rules for connections by prioritising projects that were shovel-ready and blocking out unready ‘zombie projects’, that were creating bottlenecks and delays.
The connection offers made to energy projects include offshore and onshore wind, solar, battery storage and hydro, amounting to a total 37GW of new electricity capacity, said NESO. It added the projects could help unlock upto £40bn of annual clean energy investment.
The offers describe when and where projects can connect, and outline the upgrades necessary on the transmission and distribution networks, giving developers the certainty they need to unlock investment.
Kayte O’Neill, chief operating officer at NESO, said: ‘Today’s milestone shows connections reform is delivering real results. By working closely with network companies, we are cutting delays and helping ready-to-build projects connect faster.’
