The National Grid is proposing a near £60 billion investment upgrade to the UK’s electricity network to ensure the government’s decarbonisation targets are reached.
The investment programme comes as Britain looks to decarbonise its power sector by 2035, a goal requiring more wind and solar power plants to be connected to the electricity grid.
The wide-ranging plan has been proposed by the National Grid’s Electricity Systems Operator (ESO), the body that runs the electricity network.
The £58bn proposed investment has a focus on building electrical spines and cables to transport clean energy across the country.
It says new cables must be built to bring electricity from renewables, like offshore wind farms, to cities in the UK.
Money is also needed to allow solar and other forms of alternative power to be connected to the grid and transported across the country.
The ESO advises extending the offshore power grid and building a new north-to-south electrical spine, helping move electricity generated in Scotland to the north of England.
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The ESO says the plan would create around 20,000 jobs a year, with the majority of benefits being reaped outside of London and the Southeast.
According to the Guardian, however, the plans to connect up windfarms off the coast of Scotland to the north-west of England could upset communities across the route.
The £58 billion estimated cost relates to work carried out between 2030 and 2035, in addition to a previous £54 billion estimated for work taking place up to 2030
The ESO says its ambitious upgrade is needed to ensure government decarbonisation targets of 2035 are hit.
It said the UK’s climate ambitions could be at risk without its plans.
“Great Britain is about to embark upon the biggest change to the electricity network since the high voltage transmission grid was established back in the 1950s,” it said.
In response, the government said the ESO’s plans, which would add between £20 to £30 a year to customer bills. were preliminary.
in October last year, it was revealed the ESO was set to use electric vehicle (EV) batteries to balance the grid while they’re charging.
In September last year, National Grid chief sustainability officer Rhian Kelly admitted that the energy company’s does not have “all the solutions” and that its sustainability data needs to be improved and more highly valued.
