The National Energy System Operator (NESO) confirmed those renewable energy projects that have been both approved and allocated grid connection dates.

The move by the public body tasked with planning energy grid systems and ensuring adequate supply, is a step in the right direction to meet the government’s Clean Power by 2030 target, which aims to have 95% of electricity being generated from clean and low-carbon sources.

Since December 2024, NESO has been working towards a grid reorganisation to overhaul the outdated electricity connection system, moving from a “first-come, first-served” model to a “first-ready, first-connected” approach. More than 1,200GW of ready projects were waiting in the queue for a connection date – around four times the projected needs of Great Britain by 2030.

As part of the Connection Reform, renewable developers had to submit evidence of the progress of their schemes by the summer, with a view to receiving a grid connection date.  Developers and landowners alike have been waiting patiently to learn the fate of their projects.

From the announcement date of 8th December, successful renewable projects will hear if they will contribute to the 283GW of generation and storage capacity and 99GW of transmission connected demand. The first batch of projects scheduled for earliest connection will receive formal offers in the coming weeks and all remaining offers will be finalised by Q3 of 2026.

It is our understanding that existing projects with grid offers prior to 2035 are likely to be approved, if there is a need, but they will still need to achieve their milestones of funding and planning.  Given it is taking between five and seven years from inception to achieve consent for any development, the 10-year target date is effectively as little as three years away.

In the queue prior to the reform were projects comprising 240GW of battery storage, 210GW of solar, 35GW of onshore wind and 110GW of offshore wind to name but a few of the renewable technologies. With these figures in mind and focusing on what power is needed in Great Britain, many developers and landowners are likely to be disappointed in the coming months.

This is only stage one of a much larger reform process that has highlighted both the needs of Great Britain in the coming years and areas where there is a market opportunity for future projects. For example, there is a small capacity for offshore wind, onshore wind and solar, but no capacity for any new storage developments as Great Britain has already met its 2035 capacity.

We expect a churn in the queueing process as the announcements themselves could bring into question the viability of a number of developers, even if some of their projects cleared the first hurdle. Delays to prospective cashflows and upside may make some funding structures impossible to sustain. Time will tell, but we may see some restructuring or mergers among developers as the system works itself out.

The actual position will become clearer in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, developers and landowners will need to be patient as not all offers will be announced quickly. We will endeavour to keep our clients updated as and when we know more and have specific project updates from developers.