The projects will unlock £40 billion of investment annually to drive a major overhaul of the connection process, following a tenfold growth of the queue for grid access over five years, amounting to over 700 GW, which is around four times the power needed by the country by 2030.
Thousands of projects covering technologies from wind and solar to battery storage and hydrogen will learn whether they have been accepted as part of the 283 GW of generation and storage capacity and 99 GW of transmission-connection demand. These projects will form a new pipeline in a model that prioritises projects to meet the UK’s energy and economic needs, replacing the previous first-come, first-served model.
This in turn will send a signal to the energy industry with regard to what projects are needed, where and when. Electricity demand is predicted to almost triple up to 2050.
“Transforming the grid connections process is a vital first step in unlocking the capacity needs for a secure, affordable energy transition” said Kayte O’Neill, Chief Operating Officer, NESO. “These changes will cut grid bottlenecks by prioritising ready-to-build projects, giving certainty about when and where they can connect and unlocking billions in clean energy investment. These changes wouldn’t be possible without the collaboration of our partners over the last two years. Together, we’re laying the foundations for a resilient, efficient and future-ready energy system that delivers for British consumers and the economy.”
The first batch of accepted projects will begin receiving formal offers with confirmed connection dates throughout December and the into the New Year. Remaining offers will be finalised by Q3 2026.
Projects wanting to reapply for the connections process will be able to do so from late 2026 but must demonstrate both readiness and strategic alignment with the Government’s Clean Power Action Plan.
“Britain’s electricity grid has long suffered from chronic mismanagement and underinvestment” added Chris Hewett, Chief Executive of the trade association Solar Energy UK. “Today’s announcement is a necessary step forward in resolving that. For some of our members it will offer much needed certainty, for others it will be painful as some of their projects will be unable to proceed. They are now in the process of being notified and will be considering their positions, so it will take some time to fully understand the implications of today’s announcement. Solar Energy UK will continue supporting the industry to adapt to the new connection queue and work with Government and NESO to ensure it accelerates the delivery of the UK-wide target of 54-57GW of solar by 2030.”
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