Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department has (a) taken and (b) plans to take to expand the capacity of the electricity network capacity while a new Future System Operator is being established.
The Government is taking action to expand the electricity network, in partnership with the regulator and industry bodies. Ofgem is enabling anticipatory investment through regulatory frameworks and has accelerated the delivery of nearly £20bn of strategic transmission projects. We are moving to a strategically planned approach for networks, initially through the Electricity System Operator’s Holistic Network Design, which connects almost new offshore wind in a coordinated way, expanding capacity while improving efficiency. I welcome the Electricity Networks Commissioner’s recent report on accelerating grid infrastructure and government will publish an Action Plan this year in response.