Three huge grid projects designed to move more clean British power to homes and slash constraint costs, have just been pushed a step closer by Ofgem.
The regulator has approved new delivery dates and scope changes for Eastern Green Link three and four plus the new onshore link between Grimsby and Walpole.
These links will shift offshore wind from Scotland to England at scale and cut the wasteful practice of paying turbines to switch off when the grid is full.
Each EGL link will carry 2GW through a mix of subsea and onshore cables and GWNC will add a new 400kV route across Lincolnshire. NESO’s cost benefit analysis says the redesigned plans could deliver between £3 billion and £6 billion in savings for consumers thanks to earlier delivery and lower constraint costs.
Transmission operators changed the design to cut local impacts and allow more renewable capacity to connect.
Ofgem has now set new target delivery dates of December 2033 for GWNC and August 2034 for EGL three and four.
Under the regime TOs will earn incentives for beating those dates and face daily penalties if they slip. That shifts risk onto companies not billpayers and aims to stop projects drifting into the late 2030s.
The redesign also includes proposals for undergrounding sections of EGL routes which will reduce landscape impact and cut friction with communities. Ofgem says the updated plans now offer greater consumer benefit than the original designs.
The regulator has also approved early construction funding for EGL three and four. That allows land purchases surveys design work and procurement of high demand kit like HVDC cables to start now rather than wait for later approvals.
Ofgem’s director of major projects Beatrice Filkin said: “Today’s decision puts these projects in a prime position to compete in the global race for sought after components such as HVDC cables and work towards seeking planning approval. Through intelligent use of early investment and setting realistic but ambitious timescales we are helping shield consumers from unnecessary costs.”
She added: “The TOs must also demonstrate that their expenditure delivers clear benefits for consumers otherwise those costs can’t be passed on to billpayers.”
Three giant grid projects get Ofgem approval appeared first on Energy Live News.