As part of the UK government’s Plan for Change to achieve clean power by 2030, many clean energy projects, including wind and solar power, will be prioritized in the queue for grid connections.
The landmark Planning and Infrastructure Bill will be formally introduced to Parliament very soon, laying the groundwork for a new approach to prioritize new transmission infrastructure to release growth with $259.34 billion of investment and protect households from the market condition of fossil fuel markets.
Ready-to-go projects from solar farms to new factories face lengthy connection waits of up to 10 years due to an out of date connections process, creating uncertainty for communities and businesses, costing the taxpayer millions and weakening the country’s energy security.
The first come, first served process will be replaced by a first ready, first connected system prioritizing the right homegrown clean power projects for faster connections to build an energy system reducing bills. The forthcoming Bill will set out the role of delivery process for critical infrastructure to be streamlined.
Decisions for onshore and offshore wind, solar power, electricity grids, hydrogen, carbon capture and nuclear power stations will be fast-tracked to accelerate growth, creating new jobs, adding billions to the UK economy, and delivering more clean energy for people to heat and power their homes. The changes will not only deal with planning delays but also deliver energy secure future for the next generation, as part of the government’s Plan for Change to boost growth and living standards in every region across the country and save money.
New measures will fasten the approval process for infrastructure projects by making consultation less troublesome, strengthening guidance to expert bodies and local authorities about their role in the process, and updating National Policy Statements every five years to reflect government priorities for infrastructure delivery.
This will support the government’s aim to make planning decisions on at least 150 major infrastructure projects, including wind, solar, and hydrogen, in this Parliament, about triple the 57 decisions made in the previous Parliament and more than 130 made since 2011. The government has agreed on 10, including several energy projects such as six solar farms, amounting to nearly 3 GW of new clean energy for the country.
A series of targeted reforms to accelerate growth and accelerate the government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan will be brought forward in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. These include:
- People living within up to 500 metres of new pylons will get electricity bill discounts of up to $3,242.44 over 10 years to ensure those hosting critical grid infrastructure benefit from supporting the government’s mission to clean power by the end of this decade.
- Instructing Ofgem to deliver a cap and floor scheme to unlock investment in long duration electricity storage (LDES) to store renewable power and deliver the first major projects in four decades.
- Replacing street works licences with permits to accelerate the rollout of electric vehicle chargepoints and make it easier, cheaper, and faster to install on public roads and streets.
- Changes to the outdated planning rules for new clean electricity infrastructure in Scotland, such as onshore wind farms and pylons, cutting excessive and costly delays to the process while ensuring local voices are heard in applications.
- An extension to the generator commissioning period (GCC) from 18 to 27 months to reduce the number of offshore wind farms requiring exemptions when applying for licences to connect to onshore cables and substations.
