While electrification marches onwards, it depends on having the infrastructure in place. And our transmission network is struggling to keep pace.
A major challenge facing the UK’s net zero programme is moving the current state of the wired transmission (national) and distribution (local) networks from problem statement to coordinated action plan.
A key moment in this transition will be the publication next year of the UK’s strategic spatial energy plan (SSEP). It will set out a framework for coordinating the development of Great British energy system infrastructure for the next quarter-century. However, some work is already costed, organised and under way.
The transmission network was able to meet the last period of peak demand at 63GW in 2005-06. This number has been falling thanks to various energy-saving initiatives, but the UK now faces steep rises in demand.
The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) forecasts that demand will rise by 50% between now and 2035 and double by 2050....