(Bloomberg) -- The UK energy regulator criticized a plan set out by the country’s Electricity System Operator to accelerate connections of renewable projects to the grid.
The proposal “will not be effective” in securing the projects needed to achieve a clean power network by 2030 as targeted by the government, according to an open letter published by Ofgem on Monday.
Britain is pushing ahead with planning reform to spur growth in renewables, but a backlog of grid connections has left some developers waiting as long as 15 years to get power flowing. Expanding the grid also means more transmission towers, which the government will have to convince people to accept.
“While the current proposals would likely reduce the size of the queue significantly, there is a risk that the reduction would not be sufficient,” failing to deliver the “technology mix” needed to bring about a clean energy system by 2030 or even 2050, Ofgem said.
The ESO will provide advice on the path to a clean grid to the government’s so-called Mission Control unit. That guidance is expected later this year, and will be followed by the government’s 2030 clean power plan, according to Ofgem.
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