Government announces creation of GB Grid to ease grid connection backlog, support clean power
Wed 30 September 2026
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The Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has announced plans for the creation of Great British Grid which is being established to accelerate the delivery of Britain's electricity network infrastructure. The aim is to speed grid connections, improve energy security and lower energy costs by removing one of the biggest barriers to the progress of clean power.
Britain's limited electricity infrastructure is one of the biggest barriers to decarbonising transport and other areas of the economy. Vehicle fleet operators (especially bus and truck fleets) often need to join a long queue for the grid connections they need to meet their recharging needs and electrify fleet operations.
The UK's electricity grid needs to be expanded and modernised at an unprecedented pace if it is to keep up with demand from businesses and households and connect new sources of clean power; one of the keys to unlocking economic growth.
The Government says that GB Grid, which will sit within Great British Energy, will complement, rather than replace, the existing institutions responsible for Britain’s energy system and the role of existing network operators (the 14 licensed DNOs) remains unchanged. Start-up funds for GB Grid will come from the budgets of GB Energy.
Ofgem will remain as the independent economic regulator responsible for regulating the energy market and network companies while NESO (National Energy System Operator) remains responsible for operating, planning and coordinating the electricity system.
GB Grid introduces competition for National Grid plc, which has operated as a regulated private monopoly in England and Wales. The creation of GB Grid introduces state-backed capital to co-invest, bypass bottlenecks, and introduce targeted competitive tension.
The Government news release says that it will "bring together public and private investment to support the delivery of critical network infrastructure across the country.
"Working alongside existing network operators, it will help accelerate projects, increase competition and support the delivery of the grid upgrades needed to power Britain’s future".
Full details of GB Energy are yet to be set out, but the Government says it will invest in and compete for transmission connection projects alongside the three private companies that currently own and manage the grid in Britain.
The energy regulator Ofgem has estimated that £70bn of investment is required in the grid between 2025 and 2031, quadrupling the current rate of investment. However, the National Audit Office recently warned that the number of projects waiting to connect to the grid had grown "significantly" whilst delays to projects were also increasing.
Dhara Vyas, chief executive of Energy UK, said the investment was welcome, but "the bulk of this will be private investment...In the next five years the transmission owners, the ones doing that highway of pylons, getting the electricity from source to homes to businesses, they are spending £90bn in the next five years".
Yselkla Farmer, CEO of BEAMA, the UK's electrotechnical manufacturers trade body, said: “The plan for the Great British Grid recognises the need for urgent investment. But what we cannot afford is a protracted process or uncertainty over where the funding goes. Delivery must start now to stimulate the structured growth the energy sector is planning for."
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