Green Recovery
How investment is supporting green growth and Net Zero
Working alongside the ENA, Ofgem and the industry, we have drawn up plans to unlock early investment in our electricity networks, which will facilitate new connections and also support the Government’s transition to Net Zero.
We are investing an extra £60m into the development of our electricity distribution network that will support new connections, including green projects between 2021-2023. This investment will also help to provide a foundation for the emerging technologies needed for a Net Zero future, while also facilitating green energy development and green jobs across the region.
As part of the investment, we will be upgrading and building new electrical infrastructure and substations, unlocking network capacity, which may currently be a barrier to some customer connections. Our projects will facilitate connections to all customers and have been targeted at parts of our network where we know there is current and historic interest in connection of Low Carbon Technologies. Our schemes will also support the country’s path to Net Zero, enabling more green developments, such as electric vehicle chargers, mass heat pump installations and renewable generation, such as solar parks, to connect to the electricity network. This investment will also support the future electricity needs in the local areas as our reliance on electricity to heat our homes and travel increases.
Where the investment is going
Over 70 investment projects across National Grid Electricity Distribution’s (NGED) region will be completed over the next two years. The projects cover a range of voltages from low voltage through to 132kV and are a mix of local village or town schemes (e.g. new 11kV/400volt substations or upgraded electricity cabling) to more strategic schemes benefitting a wider area, such as new high voltage network or new 33/11kV substations.
Details of each investment project that we’ll undertake as part of our green recovery commitment can be found on our interactive green recovery map.
The increase in network capacity in these areas will be available to any customer who requests a connection. Further information on how to apply for a connection to our network can be found here.
How we made our investment decisions
The Green Recovery initiative allowed us to assess parts of our network for existing network constraints and particularly identifying locations where a lack of local network capacity is restricting development, including the adoption of low carbon technologies.
Working with the ENA and the industry, we also carried out stakeholder engagement through a Call for Evidence and National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) received over 200 submissions from a variety of organisations and local authorities, which has helped us prioritise which parts of our network to target for the investment.
To effectively target the available investment and ensure it could be delivered in the next two years, we considered of the level of support and other information from the Call for Evidence, as well as the other three core criteria below:
Deliverability: How quickly NGED could deliver the infrastructure and solutions (e.g. consideration given to consents needed, equipment availability etc)
Utilisation: Does a network constraint exist at present and what was the evidence of growth or customer need for capacity in an area in the near term
Value for Money: Consideration of scheme cost to the amount of network capacity released and other wider societal benefits
For more information please view the ENA website: https://www.energynetworks.org/
Green Recovery Map
The map shows geographic areas where the Green Recovery network upgrade projects are happening. Each pin highlights a scheme and you can see a summary of the proposals by clicking on each pin. These projects are currently being developed in more detail (surveying routes, securing consents/permissions etc.) and once approved will be completed as far feasible between 2021 and end of 2023.
The type of network reinforcement proposed in these areas varies but includes new or upgraded substations (ranging from smaller 11kV to larger 33kV and 132kV substations), as well as investment to upgrade the existing circuits (cables and overhead lines) connecting these substations to the wider electricity distribution network. Some of the projects will also create new high voltage assets and effectively bring the NGED network physically closer to areas where we know there is large interest in new connections, including green investment, but where the capacity of our network is more limited at present.
Green Recovery map launch
The Green Recovery map has now been updated to show which parts of our network we are upgrading as part of the Green Recovery project.
Events
South West Green Recovery webinar
Please click here to view the presentation from the webinar, you can view the view using the link below.
South Wales Green Recovery webinar
Please click here to view the presentation from the webinar, you can view the view using the link below.
East Midlands Green Recovery webinar
Please click here to view the presentation from the webinar, you can view the view using the link below.
West Midlands Green Recovery webinar
Please click here to view the presentation from the webinar, you can view the view using the link below.
Frequently Asked Questions
The ENA compiled a list of FAQs for the Green Recovery Call for evidence. Please do not hesitate to contact your local DNO or ENA if you have any further questions.