PAWind and solar farms set to be built will be allowed to jump in line and connect to the UK electricity system under government plans.
Currently, all energy schemes requiring connection to the National Grid are in a queue and operate on a “first come, first served” basis.
Some projects face wait times of up to ten years to get the link.
The government hopes to accelerate plans to help meet its 2030 target of decarbonizing UK electricity generation.
Some industry sources said it would be a welcome move, but others warned there was a “real risk” of legal challenges to the failed project.
The previous government gave it the power to remove projects from the queue that were not yet ready to be launched, based on a “prepare first, connect first” system.
it follows Complaining about the so-called “zombie project” Projects that have little chance of being built are hampering projects that are ready to get underway.
Plans are now underway to create what is essentially a new set of energy projects that will run on “first ready, first needed, first connected” systems, overtaking other projects in the queue.
The “required” elements refer to the projects needed for clean energy in 2030.
The plans are being drawn up by the National Energy System Operator (NESO), a new public agency responsible for connecting power generation projects to the grid.
They require approval from energy regulator Ofgem and are scheduled to launch connections by the end of 2025.
“This is a complex challenge and it’s important that we get it right,” NESO said.
But the industry is calling for further clarity amid fears companies currently in the queue waiting to be connected could find their dates pushed back and face legal challenges.
Charles Wood, deputy director of the UK Department of Energy, said it was “positive” that the government appeared to acknowledge the threat of legal challenges.
But he said he would like to see more senior ministers involved in “resolving uncertainty over the network upgrade plan”.
Merlin Hyman, chief executive of energy think tank Regen, said plans to allow certain projects to jump the queue “makes sense” because the current system is “not fit for purpose”.
But he added: “This fundamental change will inevitably create uncertainty for project developers and we urgently need to provide the clarity and certainty needed to unlock investment at the pace and scale required”.
According to the Energy Network Association, initial attempts to clear existing so-called “zombie scheme” connection queues only resulted in 10 gigawatts of connections being cancelled.
This year, Ofgem put the current fleet size at 701 GW, with it expected to reach 800 GW by the end of 2024, well above the capacity the UK will need by 2050.
A spokesman for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero said it planned to submit reform proposals to Ofgem before the end of this year.
“This includes speeding up processes and reforming the system to remove stalled projects from the queue so that projects that support our 2030 clean energy targets can be quickly connected,” the spokesperson added.
