From ambition to delivery: Britain’s reliable, affordable and clean energy future

Our Chief Executive Fintan Slye has set out how long‑term system planning, targeted network investment and greater flexibility will help deliver the UK Governments clean power ambitions, while keeping energy secure and affordable for consumers.

Speaking on the Redefining Energy podcast, Fintan described the energy sector as entering a decisive phase, moving from policy ambition into large‑scale delivery.

‘‘We’re moving from the policy part…. into the real hard delivery on the ground…cranes in the air, shovels in the ground.’’ he said, as part of a ‘’huge scale transformation’’ to deliver a more reliable, affordable and clean energy future for Great Britain.

Keeping security and affordability front and centre 

Fintan talked about how recent global events, including geopolitical tensions and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, have reinforced that ‘energy security and national security are becoming ever more intertwined’. Reliance on internationally traded fossil fuels leaves consumers exposed to volatile global prices. Developing more home-grown domestic clean electricity helps reduce that exposure and build more resilience on the system – and recent events have ‘reinforced the logic’ behind this. 

Fintan acknowledged the ongoing pressure high energy prices place on households and businesses – and that these ‘’absolutely need to come down’’. While retail pricing sits largely with government and regulators, NESO is focused on system initiatives that can drive consumer costs down. These include working to reduce balancing costs, encouraging demand side participation and reforming the connections queue to help target network investment and connect ready-to-go clean power sooner. 

Fintan also highlighted the long-term benefits of electrification, system flexibility and a future ‘step change in digitisation’, including exploring the benefits of AI. As more consumers, businesses and technologies participate in a smarter energy system, fixed infrastructure costs can be spread across higher electricity demand, improving efficiency and value. NESO is also exploring the potential to fulfil a digital co-ordinator role in GB – and expects to publish the first iteration of a digital vision and architecture for the energy sector in close partnership with industry in the coming months.

A joined-up future plan for GB 

Fintan talked about the importance of a joined-up, long-term, plan for GB’s future energy system: what is needed, when it is needed and where out to 2050.

NESO is bringing a ‘genuinely whole-system perspective’ to strategic planning that can give confidence in the future of the system that ‘enables people to invest’ and joined-up, system wide, decision making. 

That includes managing anticipated changes to demand – a big one being data centres. Fintan talked to how data centres can help to support GB’s ambition on AI, and why ‘location, flexibility and timing’ are the three critical things to think about, building on recent comments from a visit to Scotland.

Finding the balance

Addressing debate around electricity balancing costs, Fintan stressed that ‘absolutely we should be driving to get those down’. He also explained that these are a normal part of running a modern power system and must be considered in the context of overall consumer value. 

As renewable generation connects to the network, often ahead of some transmission infrastructure, NESO sometimes needs to take balancing actions to move electricity efficiently from where it is generated to where it is needed. Over the last year, NESO has saved c.£530m for consumers, through its network services, network optimisation and market solutions.  

NESO’s work will continue to find out what is the ‘most appropriate, most economic balance’ to ensure consumers get the best overall outcome. Current transmission investment is largely driven by the need to connect new renewable generation, particularly offshore wind, and transport that power across Great Britain.

The challenge of the trilemma

Reflecting on NESO’s wider role, Fintan emphasised the need to hit the ‘right balance between security, affordability and sustainability’: with consumers the priority every step of the way.

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