The new rules will see energy generators pushed to the back of the queue for connection if they are not progressing their project at pace in order to leave space for other projects to connect.
To check whether milestones are met, the ESO will be supported by an engineering consultancy and a legal firm has been retained to ensure contractual changes are rapidly executed.
The milestones that projects will have to meet are “common sense points” such as raising finance for the project, buying land, getting planning permission and breaking ground.
Projects with timelines impacted by network build delays outside the control of the developers will not be negatively impacted by these changes.
There are approximately 220 projects due to connect to the national transmission system before 2026, totalling around 40GW – this equates to more than double peak demand in the summer months for all of Great Britain. However, only half of these have got planning consent...