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Wind and solar farms ready for construction would be allowed to skip the queue to be connected to the UK's electricity system, under the Government's plans.
All energy projects that require connection to the national grid are currently in a single queue which operates on a “first come, first served” basis.
Some projects face wait times that stretch into the next decade to be connected.
The government wants to accelerate projects that will help it meet its target of decarbonising the UK's electricity generation by 2030.
Some industry sources say it would be a welcome move, but others warn there is a “real risk” of legal challenges in the event of losing projects.
The previous government granted powers to remove projects from the queue that were not ready to go, under a “first ready, first connected” system.
This followed complaints that “zombie projects”, which have little or no chance of being built, are blocking the way for those ready to get started.
Plans are now underway for the creation of what is essentially a new group of energy projects, which will operate on a “first ready and needed, first connected” system, overtaking other pending projects.
The “necessary” element refers to projects needed to produce clean energy by 2030.
The plans are developed by the National Energy System Operator (NESO), a new public agency responsible for connecting generation projects to the grid.
They are expected to be approved by energy regulator Ofgem, and connections are expected to start by the end of 2025.
NESO said: “This is a complex challenge, and it is important that we succeed. »
But the industry is calling for more clarity, amid concerns over legal challenges from companies waiting in the current queue who could find their dates pushed back.
Charles Wood, deputy director of Energy UK, said it was “positive” that the government appeared to have recognized the threat of legal action.
But he said he would like to see more commitment from senior ministers to “address the uncertainty” over plans to upgrade the network.
Merlin Hyman, chief executive of energy think tank Regen, said plans to allow some projects to move ahead of the queue made “a lot of sense” as the current system was “not fit for purpose”. its objective.
But he added: “Such fundamental change inevitably causes uncertainty for project developers and we urgently need to provide the clarity and certainty needed to unlock investment at the speed and scale required.”
This comes after initial attempts to purge the existing queue for connection from so-called “zombie projects” resulted in the removal of just 10 GW of connection, according to the Energy Networks Association.
This year, Ofgem estimated the size of the existing queue at 701 GW, and it is expected to reach 800 GW by the end of 2024, far more than the UK would need by 2050.
A spokesperson for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero said it planned to submit reform proposals to Ofgem by the end of the year.
“This means speeding up the process and reforming the system to remove blocked projects from the queue, so that projects that support our 2030 clean energy goal can be connected quickly,” the spokesperson added. word.
