In the pursuit of cheaper and cleaner energy for UK homes, Mr Glover has identified the lack of grid infrastructure as the “single biggest blocker”. He points out that the process of connecting to the grid is slow and burdened by bureaucracy. This delay is hindering RWE’s low-carbon projects, creating a setback of two to five years due to grid unavailability. Consequently, the investment in the UK is being hindered, resulting in reduced access to lower-cost, lower-carbon energy and jeopardizing the government’s decarbonization goals for electricity.
Currently, there are approximately 600 projects competing for grid connection, many of which have limited chances of success. While Mr Glover appreciates the Electricity System Operators (ESO’s) “Five Point Plan” to expedite connections, he believes that additional measures are necessary.
Mr Glover suggests raising application fees for companies to discourage “speculative” or unnecessary bids. According to him, the current cost of applying for and holding a connection agreement is too low, enabling early-stage speculative applications that secure a spot in the queue. Furthermore, the minimal cost of holding a place encourages parties to maintain the agreement, even if the project is unviable or delayed.
Andy Willis, CEO of Kona, which is developing one of Europe’s largest battery storage sites in Lancashire, supports Mr Glover’s call for stricter reforms. Mr Willis believes that ESO, Ofgem, and the government should assess a project’s funding and planning applications before granting it a place in the connection queue. Each project should be assigned development milestones, and those that fail to meet them should be penalized by moving to the back of the list.
ESO, currently part of National Grid but soon to be brought back under public control to help the UK meet net zero targets, acknowledges the frustration experienced by connection customers. They have introduced short-term initiatives as part of their five-point plan and are planning long-term reforms to address the challenges posed by the sheer volume of applications they receive today.
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