NESO Issues Grid Connection Offers to Over 700 UK Renewable Projects by 2030
NESO's Overhauled Grid Connection Regime and Its Impact
Overview of Grid Connection Offers
OSLO, June 10 (Reuters) - Britain's National Energy System Operator (NESO) has issued offers for electricity grid connections to more than 700 projects accounting for 58% of those in the pipeline until 2030 under an overhauled connection regime, it said on Wednesday.
Details of the Projects and Capacity
• Offers have been made to 713 of the 1,223 projects in the 2030 pipeline, including offshore and onshore wind, solar, battery storage, gas and hydro, together totalling 37 gigawatts (GW).
Certainty for Developers
• The offers set out when and where projects can connect and what network upgrades are needed, giving developers the certainty they need to move forward, NESO said.
Reforms to the Connection System
• Recent reforms replaced a 'first come, first served’ system that led to bottlenecks and delays for ready-to-go projects.
Economic and Infrastructure Implications
Unlocking Clean Energy Investment
Financial Impact
• In total, the projects supported by this process could help unlock up to £40 billion of annual clean energy investment, the NESO statement said.
Infrastructure Requirements
• To support grid connections, thousands of kilometres of new electricity lines and cables are also required.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Nora Buli; Editing by Kate Mayberry)