This yr will undoubtedly be remembered as a watershed for renewable electrical energy technology within the UK. By the top of 2024, it’s prone to be the primary full yr wherein low-carbon renewables – wind, photo voltaic, and hydropower – generated extra electrical energy than fossil fuels.
The nation’s progress in phasing out hydrocarbons was exemplified by the closure of Ratcliffe-on-Sea, the UK’s final coal-fired energy plant. I imagine it gained’t be lengthy earlier than wind energy overtakes gasoline as the biggest single supply of energy technology.
In the meantime, the brand new authorities has entered Whitehall with an bold power transition programme and has hit the bottom working with its power coverage: overturning the ban on onshore wind in England, establishing GB Power, and creating the brand new ‘Mission Management’ institute to speed up the journey to cleaner and cheaper power – all inside its first month.
For Nationwide Grid, 2024 has been a yr targeted on delivering our bold plans to construct the networks wanted to speed up the UK’s power transition. Earlier this yr, we introduced an funding of round £30 billion within the UK over the following 5 years; a transformational step up in power infrastructure funding, unprecedented in scale and ambition.
This yr was additionally a landmark yr for Nationwide Grid relating to our Accelerated Strategic Transmission Infrastructure (ASTI) tasks, with building commencing on 5 of our 17 tasks. All 17 will play a vital function in connecting extra clear, low-carbon energy to the transmission community in England and Wales.
Whereas getting spades within the floor is at all times a trigger for celebration, I’m additionally happy that we held public consultations over the summer season overlaying eight different ASTI tasks, together with 58 in-person consultations with over 7,600 attendees and 750 contributors in on-line webinars.
Concentrate on supply
If 2024 might be characterised as a landmark yr in setting the course for the UK’s clear power future, then 2025 must be a yr that we construct on this dedication. At Nationwide Grid, we welcome the federal government’s early constructive intent to drive the power transition ahead at a extra pressing tempo, together with the preliminary reforms introduced to this point.
What we need to see subsequent yr is a laser concentrate on supply, particularly relating to delivering the mandatory reforms to the planning and connections processes. These are two key areas that Ben Wilson, my predecessor on this function, highlighted as key challenges on the core of the power transition, when he spoke to this publication earlier this yr.
We’ve seen encouraging steps in the suitable course just lately, with the Nationwide Power System Operator (NESO) publishing a session on plans to reform the connections course of. This marks a shift from the “first come, first served” method to at least one the place tasks prepared to attach are prioritised.
Embracing innovation in 2025 and past may even be essential to efficiently delivering the power transition. The power sector has historically been slower to undertake technological innovation, partly resulting from its closely regulated nature and the concentrate on reliability. We can not undertake the “transfer quick and break issues” method frequent in tech. Nonetheless, the size of the problem signifies that embracing new know-how and considering might be very important for accelerating the power transition.
To this finish, Nationwide Grid launched a enterprise capital arm, Nationwide Grid Companions (NGP), in 2018 to find and nurture technological improvements that may unlock new prospects for the power transition. Since its launch, NGP has invested $500 million in practically 50 firms, with startups in our portfolio attracting over $3 billion in further funding.
A few of the thrilling improvements in NGP’s portfolio that we’ve deployed throughout our world companies embrace LineVision, a startup that produces state-of-the-art sensors that permit for actual time monitoring of our transmission strains and may also help assist rising demand for electrical energy by permitting us to deliver extra power on-line.
Lastly, we hope to see additional progress subsequent yr on growing a framework that outlines how native communities can profit from internet hosting new transmission infrastructure. We imagine that communities internet hosting infrastructure ought to be recognised and can proceed to work with the federal government and trade to make sure the power transition delivers tangible long-term advantages.
As we stay up for 2025, it’s essential that the momentum gained in 2024 just isn’t solely maintained however accelerated. The groundwork laid this yr should translate into actionable reforms that streamline the connections course of and improve planning effectivity. By prioritising these areas, we are able to be sure that the UK’s power transition stays on observe, delivering a cleaner, extra sustainable future whereas empowering communities.
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