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Ofgem said the plan would help accelerate the UK’s rollout of renewable energy infrastructure including wind by speeding up grid connections. 

“Today’s plans build on our work to date to meet the soaring demand for renewable electricity, while keeping the costs of the energy transition under control. It will unlock investment, accelerate new infrastructure and bring in renewable technology at scale, like hydrogen and carbon capture,” Ofgem’s CEO Jonathan Brearley said. 

The CAP was announced during Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement, which laid out the government’s spending plans for the coming months on Wednesday (22 November). 

It included plans to release around 100GW of energy projects currently waiting to connect to the national grid by reducing the average wait time from five years down to six months. The CAP also aims to connect a “significant majority” of projects within the customer’s requested connection times — a large increase from the current figure of 14% — setting a deadline of 2025. 

To achieve these the CAP consists of a five point approach, which includes raising entry requirements, removing stalled projects from the backlog, improving utilisation and allocation, and developing connection models to align with net-zero goals. 

The plan follows Ofgem introducing new rules that will allow the UK’s electricty system operator (ESO), National Grid, to terminate projects that do not adhere to strict timeline connection agreements. 

“We warmly welcome these new rules approved by Ofgem enabling us to proactively terminate zombie projects in the connections queue,” Julian Leslie, chief engineer and head of networks at the ESO, said. 

“This is a milestone moment in the ESO's efforts to lead the transformation of the grid connections process, making it fit for purpose for a modern network that is rapidly evolving and decarbonising.”  

Energy companies such as renewable energy provider Octopus also welcomed the government's plans for grid connection reform. 

“Renewables have the power to reduce bills for all, but decades-long grid connection queues have massively slowed us down. We’re over the moon to see the government finally taking the handbrake off the gridlock, which will help us bring cheaper, cleaner energy to Britain faster," Zoisa North-Bond, CEO of Octopus Energy, said.