Electricity regulator Ofgem is to publish a review of the UK’s existing electrical system operation model in the Spring that will consider if the existing setup needs to change to facilitate renewables growth.
Under the terms of the current model the UK’s electrical system operator, National Grid ESO, is a legally separate entity of multi-national utility company National Grid.
The Ofgem report will evaluate if this current system is suitable for the country as it gears up to hit its net-zero carbon emissions target in 2050.
Ofgem said wants the review to help deliver net zero at the lowest cost to consumers.
“It will provide the government with an objective and evidence-based assessment of GB system operation, in the context of decarbonisation,” the regulator said.
The report will identify alternatives to the existing system and Ofgem said it is seeking industry input into the review.
“While we do not intend to issue a formal consultation, we may publish short, focused questions to gather industry views,” the regulator said.
Ofgem highlighted the growing centrality of offshore wind to the energy network as one of the key factors behind the review.
The regulator said an outage at Orsted’s 1.2GW Hornsea 1 wind farm last August had “underlined the importance of having a proactive system operator that is able to adapt to the complex and changing world it operates in.”