Connections Reform: The key to unlocking GB growth

Connections reform underpins a once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernise Great Britain’s (GB’s) energy grid, creating a fairer, more efficient system that boosts economic growth, strengthens energy security, and accelerates our transition to clean energy. While essential to achieving these goals, we recognise the reform brings major changes for our customers.

Matt Magill, Director of Engineering & Customer Solutions Transformation, outlines the challenges of the current oversubscribed queue, why reform is vital, and what it means for the thousands of projects seeking to connect, of which only around one third are expected to receive a firm offer.

The challenge: an outdated and oversubscribed system

For years, Great Britain’s grid connection process operated on a first-come, first-served basis, designed for a simpler energy market, with only a few big fossil projects, in an orderly queue.

The outcome? A connections queue now exceeding 800GW, over four times the capacity needed to deliver clean power by 2030, and twice what's required to reach net zero by 2050. This reflects the extraordinary ambition across Great Britain, but the current system was never built to handle the scale or urgency of today’s energy transition, and the connections process was in dire need of modernisation.

This oversubscription has led to long delays, uncertainty and frustration for customers with projects ready to start delivering for GB, whether that be new data centres, housing developments, or offshore wind projects. Developers have invested significant time and resources only to face prolonged waits that hinder progress.

Our role in reforming the way projects connect to the grid

Following many months of detailed design work in close collaboration with industry, six months ago Ofgem granted NESO new powers to implement the reform plan, fundamentally reshaping how projects connect to the electricity grid. This marked a major milestone, enabling the creation of a fairer, faster, and more transparent connections process.

After the formation of the new Government last year, we were asked to align the reform plan with the Clean Power Action Plan. As a result, only projects that are both critical to delivering clean energy and ready to progress will be prioritised and assigned firm connection dates. This ensures every connection actively supports Great Britain’s energy and economic goals.

Building a smarter, fairer queue

Connections reform is about more than just reordering the queue, it’s about creating a system that prioritises viable, shovel-ready projects that align with Great Britain’s energy and growth needs.

The reformed process will:

• Prioritise readiness: Projects that are ready and willing to move forward quickly will take precedence reducing delays and unlocking investment.
• Drive economic growth: By enabling £40 billion in annual investment, the reforms will create thousands of jobs and boost local economies.
• Strengthen energy security: Integrating more clean, domestic energy production into the grid will enhance GB’s energy independence – meaning less reliance on volatile foreign markets.
• Support net zero ambitions: A smarter queue ensures resources are focused on projects that deliver on our 2030 clean power and 2050 net zero targets.

This strategic approach sends a clear signal to investors and developers: GB is ready to accelerate its clean energy transition while delivering sustainable economic growth.

Balancing speed and quality

We recognise that the connections reform process has taken longer than anticipated. Our goal was to strike a delicate balance between moving quickly and getting it right. A fair, transparent and trusted system is essential for long-term success, and we’ve worked diligently to design a queue that serves customers and stakeholders for years to come.

We deeply value the trust of our customers and appreciate the open feedback shared through our fortnightly webinars. These sessions have been instrumental in shaping the reform process and we’re committed to maintaining this dialogue. 

Our team is dedicated to keeping our customers informed and addressing questions as we move forward.

What reform means for customers

We understand that connections reform will bring difficult news for many customers. With an oversubscribed queue, our indicative estimates suggest that only about a third of these projects will secure a confirmed position in the reordered queue when outcomes are announced later this year. This means that around two thirds of projects may not receive the firm connection offer they hoped for.

We know this will be disappointing for developers who have invested significant time, effort, and resources into their projects. We want to acknowledge the scale of that investment and the passion behind these projects. To deliver what’s best for Great Britain in terms of economic growth, energy security, and a sustainable future, we must focus on projects that are ready to proceed and aligned with the strategic priorities as set out by the Government.

I want to also stress that customers who do not receive the firm offer they were hoping for are not removed out of the process all together – they are still important for our country’s future energy mix. These projects are simply not needed yet and may be called on in the future.

Looking ahead

At the end of the queue reordering process, each project that submitted evidence will be told whether they are eligible for a confirmed connection (a Gate 2 offer) or a non-confirmed position (Gate 1).

No later than early December 2025:

• All projects will receive a notification regarding their position in the re-ordered queue.

Projects that meet all criteria (for Gate 2) will, from the new year and over the following six to nine months, receive the following:

• A confirmed connection date.
• A confirmed connection point.
• A secure position in the reordered queue.

There will be opportunities to reapply in future application windows, and we will announce when the next window will be shortly. While this news will be challenging, we’re committed to providing clarity and support to help customers navigate the next steps.

As we move forward, our focus remains on transparency, fairness, and collaboration. We are working at pace to issue the first round of connection offers this year, kickstarting the economic and environmental benefits that reform will bring.

Join us on this journey

New milestones are being achieved every week and already 99% of customer have received outcomes of initial checks. This has been made possible by the swift response times from our customers.

Connections reform is a shared endeavour, and we are committed to working closely with our customers and stakeholders every step of the way. Your feedback, questions, and engagement are vital to ensuring the success of this transformation.

Register here to join us at our fortnightly webinars to stay updated and share your insights.

Together, we can unlock the full potential of connections reform, delivering a cleaner, stronger, and more prosperous future for all.