The government has brought forward measures that will see “dozens” of clean energy projects jump to the front of the queue for grid connections in its Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
Now introduced the Parliament, the Bill includes actions that will see the “first come, first served” process replaced with a “first ready, first connected” system. Through this, the government says that the right homegrown clean power projects will be prioritised. This will mean quicker connections and the building of an energy system that brings down bills for good.
Under the new approach, decisions for onshore and offshore wind, solar power, electricity grids, hydrogen, carbon capture and nuclear power will all be fast-tracked, with the wait for new grid connections potentially cut by as much as seven years. Making the consultation process less burdensome will help speed up the approval process for nationally significant infrastructure projects, with guidance to support expert bodies and local authorities about their role in the process also made stronger.
National Planning Statements will be updated at least every five years too, reflecting changing government priorities for infrastructure delivery, with the hope that collectively these new measures will help see planning decisions made for at least 150 major projects in this Parliament.
Further reforms being brought forward through the Bill include instructing Ofgem to deliver a “cap and floor” scheme to unlock “billions” worth of investment in long duration electricity storage; replacing street works licenses with permits to accelerate the rollout of electric vehicle chargepoints; overhauling outdated planning rules in Scotland for new clean electricity infrastructure such as onshore wind farms and pylons; and, in a move to reduce the number of offshore windfarms requiring exemptions when applying for licenses to connect to onshore cables and substations, extending the generator commission period from 18 to 27 months.
It also contained the reveal that people living near new pylons across Britain are set to benefit from money off their energy bills. New powers introduced through the Bill will see households that live within 500 metres of new, or upgraded electricity transmission infrastructure get electricity bill discounts of up to £2,500 over 10 years.
Further moving to strengthen community benefits, the government launched new guidance to map out how developers should ensure that communities hosting new transmission infrastructure are able to benefit. This could be through funding projects such as sports clubs, educational programmes, or leisure facilities. Through this new guidance, communities could receive £200,000 worth of funding per km of overhead electricity cable in their area, and £530,000 per substation. Developers will engage with communities over how best to spend the funds, ensuring that there is a fair and consistent approach across the whole of the country.
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