Publicly Owned Grid Plan
Andy Burnham Plans Publicly Owned Great British Grid to Cut Costs
Anonymous
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is set to announce Great British Grid, a publicly owned body within Great British Energy that would invest in electricity-network projects and compete with private operators. The plan aims to increase competition, speed up delayed grid connections for businesses, and help expand infrastructure needed for renewables and economic growth. Businesses would also be able to build connection infrastructure themselves, with the new body offering support and potential co-investment. Burnham says the wider goal is to bring UK energy costs in line with those in other European countries within a decade; funding is expected to come from Great British Energy’s existing allocation. The proposal is presented as a move toward greater public control of utilities, while detailed arrangements for the new body have yet to be set out.
Key Points
1
Businesses building their own grid-connection infrastructure has a precedent in Ireland, where the approach reportedly cut connection times by 11 months.
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GB Grid will have access to a £4bn pot already allocated to Great British Energy, although it is not expected to use the entire amount.
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The plan would establish the first state-owned entity in Britain’s electricity networks since the sector was privatised under Margaret Thatcher.
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Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh called the proposal “another step towards mending the decades of Tory policies which ripped out public control from our energy systems.”
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