Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the adequacy and equity of arrangements for managing grid connections to enable both large-scale renewable generation projects and (a) micro-generation, (b) low carbon housing developments and (c) other distribution-level projects to be connected.

The Department is engaging with Ofgem and network companies to reduce connection timescales for all connection types and scales. As part of this, the Energy Networks Association and Electricity System Operator are taking action to improve the connection process for the distribution and transmission networks respectively, and Ofgem published an open letter on future reform to connections in May.

I also recently co-chaired, with Ofgem, a roundtable discussion with network companies and industry stakeholders on accelerating connections. Building on this work, the Government and Ofgem will publish a joint action plan on accelerating connections this summer.