The UK government has announced the creation of the Great British Grid (GBG), a new publicly owned body within the Great British Energy (GBE) that will invest in electricity network infrastructure and support faster delivery of grid projects needed to connect clean power and meet rising electricity demand. GBG will bring together public and private investment to support critical network infrastructure, working alongside existing network operators to accelerate projects and increase competition.
The initial start-up costs for GBG will be covered by GBE’s existing budgets, while its long-term funding will be considered through a future spending review. The government will also introduce reforms to expand self-build connections, allowing developers and businesses to build their own grid connections where appropriate rather than waiting for network companies. It will accelerate competitive tendering for transmission projects, allowing a wider range of organisations, including GBG, to compete for new network infrastructure.
The measures complement ongoing work with National Energy System Operator (NESO) and UK’s energy regulator, Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), to reform the connections system, including removing more than 300 GW of speculative capacity, which refers to projects that have applied for a grid connection but may be early-stage, financially uncertain, duplicated, or unlikely to proceed. GBG will invest public capital alongside private investment without replacing existing institutions or changing the role of existing network operators.
