The government has announced plans to establish Great British Grid (GBG), a new publicly owned body within Great British Energy that will help accelerate the delivery of the electricity network infrastructure Britain needs.

While Great British Energy is investing in supply chain, generation and storage projects across the country, Great British Grid will be able to invest in our electricity grid.

The government says that Britain’s electricity grid must be expanded and modernised at an unprecedented pace if it is to support growing demand from households and businesses, connect new sources of clean power and unlock economic growth.
 

Great British Grid will bring together public and private investment to support the delivery of critical network infrastructure across the country, working alongside existing network operators to accelerate projects and support the delivery of the grid upgrades.

To help projects and businesses connect to the grid more quickly, the government will also bring forward reforms to expand self-build connections. This will allow developers and businesses to build their own connections where appropriate, rather than waiting for network companies to do so, helping reduce delays, lower costs and accelerate growth.

Accelerating self-build connections has delivered significant benefits internationally, with similar reforms in Ireland reducing connection times by up to 11 months.

The government will also accelerate the competitive tendering of transmission projects, allowing a wider range of organisations, including Great British Grid, to compete to deliver new network infrastructure. This will help drive innovation, improve delivery and secure better value for consumers.

The government says that Great British Grid will complement, rather than replace, the existing institutions responsible for Britain’s energy system and the role of existing network operators remains unchanged.