Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | JUNE 2023 | 19 Networks cover to make sure that when we start mov- ing things around, that is accepted." He added: "We will need to be really clear in our communication about this and for that we all need to be aligned." Slade emphasised the willingness across Ofgem and government to tackle the issue, highlighting the fact that networks now have a dedicated minister (shared with nuclear) in Andrew Bowie. However, he insisted this needed to be backed up by urgent action. He echoed the comments of National Grid's Agg in saying that reform of the plan- ning system is fundamental to enabling a move from a "‚ rst come, ‚ rst served" approach to one based on the principle of "‚ rst ready, ‚ rst connected". "How do we get planning working so you don't take away anything from local communities, and you maintain that demo- cratic process around planning and engage- ment that is absolutely fundamental to net zero? How do we keep that but speed up the…process?" He admitted these are delicate trade-o† s but said there was a danger of looking at community engagement in a "slightly too binary and uncoordinated manner" and that a more holistic view was needed. He added: "It's not just waving a wand and changing planning. It's linking it at every level, how we're managing this process and making the whole thing more accessible for people. That way they can understand what we're doing and the impact it's going to have on them." Gridlocked Not to be leŠ out, Octopus Energy has released its own ‚ ve-point plan to tackle connections, calling for dedicated renewable energy development zones The retailer claims a live database map- ping substation capacity "could make con- necting to the grid less opaque and more transparent". Its plan also calls for greater competition, proactive queue jumping and enforceable sunset clauses on fossil fuel projects. Its End the Gridlock report states: "We must make the grid smarter, more digitised, and ‚ t for a dynamic renewable system. "Through Octopus's Winder platform, we've mapped out current substation capacity, piecing together the picture using regional DNO data. Yet in other countries this information is much easier to come by, for example in Spain, the Distribution Sys- tems Operator is obliged to share information about available capacity on a monthly…basis. "This doesn't mean development will be guided only by where there's capacity. But if we're trying to accelerate building more green energy, this approach provides a helpful tool to show where it's popular, and if there is capacity, we should be able to move really quickly. And every time a developer makes an application, they start from scratch to carry out a wide range of surveys – so we can do more with data here too." The retailer's plan adds: "Previous surveys could be col- lated into a central database, lay- ered with new surveys to create 'zones' ripe for green power. Pre- agreed 'zones' could have quicker planning and grid connection timeframes. "This type of proactive approach already works very well for o† shore wind in the UK and has led to a huge acceleration in Britain's o† shore wind capacity. This could be applied to onshore wind and solar too." Summing up the approach, Zoisa North-Bond, chief executive of Octopus Energy Generation, said: "To accelerate Britain's colossal renewable energy opportunity and drive down energy bills fast, we need to connect cheap green projects to the grid quicker. There's no time to waste in an energy crisis – we need to end the gridlock now." James Wallin, editor

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