Preparing for major grid reforms by Martina Serafini

On 26 June, Waterfront Conference Company held a one day Connecting Projects to the Grid conference. For those not able to attend, conference producer, Martina Serafini, summarises the key takeaways including how connections for energy projects can be accelerated through wider industry collaboration and effective communication.

With major changes underway transforming how energy projects secure grid connections, Waterfront Conference Company’s Connecting Projects to the Grid 2025 ensured energy developers understood what these changes mean.

The one-day conference provided the latest updates on navigating connection reforms and overcoming capacity constraints to an audience of government, energy regulators and developers.

A key takeaway was the importance of improving certainty for the sector through stronger collaboration and communication on the next steps for achieving a net zero electricity future.

Ben Golding, Director of the Clean Power 2030 Unit at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, outlined the path to meeting ambitious renewable energy generation targets. This includes delivering 88 transmission works over the next five years and closing the skills gap to support infrastructure growth.

Another priority is reordering the existing connection queue to ensure that projects, which are needed and ready to connect, can receive faster offers. The National Energy System Operator shared crucial insight on the new connection process, explaining that from 8 July, developers will be able to demonstrate how their schemes meet Gate 2 criteria and secure a firm connection date.

Attendees also explored what further actions are required to accelerate connection timelines. The regulator, Ofgem, highlighted the critical role of greater data sharing and communication between both stakeholders and developers in enabling quicker connections.

Mark Adolphus, Director of Connections & Sustainability at UK Power Networks, stressed that early engagement is crucial to prevent delays and minimise costs when applying for grid connections. Given the exceptional demand he is seeing – such as the 600MW data centre proposed in Havering – he encouraged customers to increase communication during pre-application to gain better support from DNOs.

The day continued with a focus on practical guidance for delivering energy projects, including transmission and distribution infrastructure. Leading consultancies, WSP and Terraquest, discussed key solutions to overcome planning barriers, from managing uncertain consenting timescales to effectively engaging with landowners.

Developers progressing the biggest schemes across the UK – Lightsource bp, Island Green Power, Ethical Power and Cero Generation – also had an honest discussion about the risks that their schemes face as a result of grid policy changes. While project pipelines continue to grow, uncertainty around connection timelines still remains. To address this challenge, they emphasised the need to work closely with each other and with operators.

The event ended with an in-depth look into new technologies that are facilitating faster connections. Representatives from Electricity North West presented their BiTraDER project which enables customers to manage their capacity and network commitments more flexibly through a digital trading platform.

Ultimately, the message was clear: developers need to submit evidence against the new criteria now. Many DNOs have seen fewer submissions than expected, including some that do not meet the necessary standards. With deadlines approaching fast and a large number of schemes expected, early submission is critical to allow for feedback and increase developers’ chances of gaining a faster connection.

Connecting Projects to the Grid will return next year to explore lessons learned from the implementation of connection reforms and the progress towards Clean Power 2030. Make sure you secure your place to gain the insight you need to advance your scheme. Alternatively, if you are looking for support with your stakeholder and public engagement strategy, drop us a line to find out how we can help.