(Bloomberg) -- The UK government, along with its counterparts in Scotland and Wales, has asked the country’s grid operator to develop a plan to speed up the deployment of renewable power generation.
Britain’s National Energy System Operator will develop a methodology for the so-called Strategic Spatial Energy Plan by the end of the year, according to a document published Tuesday. Speeding up the planning of low-carbon energy infrastructure is critical to the government’s aim to reach a clean power grid by the end of the decade.
The wider aim for the strategic plan is to examine the country’s energy system as a whole — a shift from evaluating individual projects piecemeal — considering economic modeling, environmental impact and public consultation.
“This Strategic Spatial Energy Plan will unlock a faster and better planned energy transition, upgrading Great Britain to ensure long-term energy security,” according to the document.
The project will initially focus on power generation and storage, including hydrogen, but could be expanded to other energy sources like natural gas. The plan will include energy on land as well as at sea, an increasingly critical aspect of Britain’s power mix as it ramps up production from offshore wind farms.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.