Ofgem to slay zombie projects on National Grid ESO queue
The energy regulator has vowed to speed up the process of wiring new power plants into Britain’s electricity network by removing “zombie” projects from the queue for grid connections.
Proposed projects including wind and solar farms and batteries are facing wait times of up to 15 years to get connections to the transmission network, in large part because of an inefficient queueing system.
The “first come, first served” system means that many viable projects are unable to get connections because of others lodged in speculative applications or ones that have stalled and are in effect bed-blocking.
Ofgem said new rules would allow National Grid’s electricity system operator (ESO), which administers grid connections, to remove such projects from the queue, while fast-tracking ones ready to go.
