Planning and Infrastructure Bill to prioritise clean energy

Dozens of clean energy projects, including wind and solar power, will skip the queue for grid connections and be prioritised as part of the government’s pledge to drive clean power by 2030.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill, to be introduced in Parliament this week, will prioritise transmission infrastructure to unlock growth through £200 billion investment and protect households from turbulent fossil fuel markets.

Projects that are ready for implementation like solar farms or new factories currently face long waits of up to ten years due to outdated connections process, creating certainty for communities and businesses, costing millions and threatening the UK’s energy security.

This ‘first come, first served’ approach is blocking infrastructure from being able to connect as it is held up by speculative projects that are ahead of the queue. It will be replaced by a ‘first ready, first connected’ system that prioritises clean power projects for quicker connections to build an energy system that can bring down bills for good.

This will mean that more decisions for onshore and offshore wind, solar power, electricity grids, hydrogen, carbon capture and nuclear power stations will be fast-tracked, creating thousands of new jobs, adding billions to the UK economy, and delivering more clean energy for people to power their homes.

Deputy prime minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner said: “Time and time again blockers have been allowed to halt progress at every turn which has weakened our energy security and left our country exposed to soaring energy bills for working people, families and businesses. This cannot and will not continue under my watch.

“Through our landmark Planning and Infrastructure Bill we’re taking bold action to fix the broken planning system, paving the way for us to get Britain building more vital infrastructure so our children and grandchildren can grow up in a more energy secure world.

“This is just one of many steps we’re taking to deliver our Plan for Change for working people and families with a decade of national renewal, unleashing growth to boost living standards, slash everyday costs and increase prosperity for all.”

Other elements of the government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, as set out in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, include: energy bill discounts for those living within up to 500 metres of new pylons, storing renewable power through long duration electricity storage (LDES), accelerating the rollout of electric vehicle chargepoints, changing outdated planning rules for new clean electricity infrastructure in Scotland, and extending the generator commissioning period (GCC) from 18 to 27 months to reduce the number of offshore wind farms requiring exemptions when applying for licences to connect to onshore cables and substations.