Crunch Time Approaches For Grid Access Rights Debate

摘要

Radical plans to shake-up the transmission regime in Great Britain are set to be voted on later this month. Earlier this year, the UK government and Ofgem put forward plans to tackle the large queue for access to the transmission network. There is around 11 GW of mainly renewable generation projects seeking transmission connections in Scotland alone. The queue to obtain access means that many projects will not be able to connect to the system for many years and so hamper the government's renewable generation expansion plans. To tackle the queue, Ofgem and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform kicked off a Transmission Access Review (TAR). This has resulted in National Grid working up six potential changes to the transmission access regime. Grid is currently consulting on proposals, which amend the rules governing grid access - the Connection Use of System Code. Five of the six proposals (CAP 161-165) will be voted on by industry representatives sitting on the CUSC panel on December 19.