The UK government is ready to adopt measures aimed to halve the current average time of 14 years required to complete significant electricity transmission projects essential for revamping the country’s energy system.
Energy Secretary, Grant Shapps, has supported a report prepared by industry expert Nick Winser, proposing ways to accelerate the construction of electricity networks in Britain. Colleagues of Shapps have indicated that he is receptive to Winser’s suggestions, as part of a broader initiative to assure energy companies that regulatory obstacles will be eliminated, facilitating their investments in new projects.
Responding to the Energy Secretary’s endorsement of a report by Nick Winser on how Britain can speed up the construction of electricity networks, Kona Energy Founder Andy Willis commented:
“The greatest obstacle on our path to net zero is not investment difficulties or technological challenges – it’s actually getting renewable projects connected to the grid. Even three years ago, the idea that these delays could undo so much hard work was unfathomable.”
“Estimates put the value of renewable projects currently sitting in the queue at over £200 billion, with many waiting up to fifteen years for a connection. The international investment community is acutely aware of the situation, so today’s news is a massive positive step in the right direction.”
“Removing regulatory barriers and providing significant investment in the connections process will lubricate the whole system, getting battery storage sites like Kona’s online years earlier than is currently expected. Without a concerted central effort to construct the necessary electrical infrastructure these projects, which could be pumping clean energy into millions of homes, will remain unconnected.”
“As the Economist rightly pointed out – hug pylons, not trees.”
“If the pace of action is sufficient, the current downward trend of the UK’s renewable progress can and will be reversed. Government deserves credit for acknowledging the scale of the problem, but we now need delivery.”
“That will save families money on their energy bills, increase our energy security and help to deliver the zero-carbon future. There is really no time to waste.”
Kona Energy is focused upon developing grid-scale battery energy storage projects. These flexible assets are key to balancing energy supply and demand and increasing the utilisation of renewable power on the electricity system. Kona Energy are developing a 2000MW portfolio of large scale energy storage projects across the UK.
