UK's 64 Transmission Network Upgrade Projects Face Risk of Delay

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 11, the UK National Audit Office (NAO) released the results of its review of the UK's transmission network upgrade plan. The UK National Energy System Operator (NESO) has determined that 88 transmission network upgrade projects need to be completed by 2030, but 64 of them are still in the early stages of development and are expected to be unable to be completed by the established dates. The UK energy regulator Ofgem estimates that the UK's transmission network upgrades will require approximately £70 billion in investment from 2025 to 2031.

The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero stated that, in order to connect new generating capacity and meet future electricity demand in the heating, transport, and industrial sectors, the scale of new transmission infrastructure that needs to be built by 2030 is approximately twice the amount completed over the past decade. NESO is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the UK power system, while Ofgem is responsible for regulating the transmission operators that own and operate the transmission network. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is working with Ofgem and NESO to advance the expansion of the transmission network.

The NAO stated that transmission projects currently face risks related to planning approval, supply chains, and power system connections, and that the expected completion times of some projects have already been postponed to after 2030. With some new generation projects being connected to the grid and put into operation before their supporting transmission works, the transmission network may be unable to transmit all electricity from generation areas to consumption areas.

When capacity constraints occur on the transmission network, NESO needs to maintain system balance by adjusting the output of different generating units. In 2025–2026, the UK paid £1.9 billion in power system balancing costs for requiring certain generation facilities to increase or decrease their electricity output. Forecasts cited by the NAO show that if the pace of transmission network construction fails to keep up with the commissioning progress of new generation projects, the related costs could rise to £6.6 billion–£7.8 billion by 2030.

NESO has previously identified more than 80 transmission projects around the 2030 clean electricity target, covering the upgrading of existing transmission facilities as well as the construction of new transmission lines. The UK government is working with Ofgem to study the establishment of incentive and constraint mechanisms for the delivery of transmission infrastructure in order to improve the pace of project construction.