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Hook-up renewables faster Ofgem tells National Grid

Energy watchdog Ofgem has called the planning consent process to be speeded up for connecting renewable energy projects to the National Grid.

Ofgem said the National Grid should be more proactive in connecting projects to the grid as too many renewable projects faced long delays in obtaining planning consent.

To reduce bottlenecks, Ofgem is urging the National Grid to give priority to the projects closest to being ready to use the system, meaning those generators with planning permission or sufficient funds to commit to getting a connection could leap-frog others to nearer the front of the queue.

It is estimated about 40 gigawatts of new electricity generation, including around 22GW of renewable capacity, of which about 14GW from onshore wind farms, is seeking connection to the network by 2017.

The figure would increase the UK's total generation capacity contracted to connect to the transmission system by more than half from 77GW to around 120GW.

Under the latest EU renewables directive, the UK is obliged to generate 15 per cent of all energy from renewables.

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