As your report correctly notes, grid connection timeframes represent a significant stumbling block on the path to clean energy (“Green investors wait for Labour’s vows to come good”, September 2). In fact, any government plan to increase investment or alter the planning framework will eventually lead back to the fundamental challenge of connecting new projects to the grid system.
The fact is our grid works on a first-come-first-served basis, with a lack of sufficient control over who can apply for a connection meaning promising developments are often stuck behind hordes of “zombie projects” that have no realistic chance of success. And with the connection pipeline growing at an average of 20 gigawatts per month, the problem is only growing more acute.
Crucially, Ofgem looks set to implement National Grid’s electricity system operator proposals that would essentially prioritise projects ready to start generating power — a vital step to clear the logjam. But new rules alone won’t suffice: we in the energy sector also need to take some responsibility for the problem, suppressing any desire to hoard connection slots.
A starting point would be more developers ensuring they properly screen sites before applying for a connection, ensuring they have investment and workable timescales, before tying up capacity. The sector needs to reward the support the government has shown with support of its own, starting with an attitudinal shift.
Philip Silk
Development Director, Conrad Energy, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK
