Moving clean energy forward: energy and industry focus at COP28
National Grid
Connecting millions of people to the energy they use, while making the energy system clean, fair, and affordable.
Since our involvement as a Principal Partner of COP26 there have been significant developments in terms of energy transition ambitions in both the UK and US.
Commitments such as the UK government’s ambition to achieve fully decarbonised electricity by 2035, and the Inflation Reduction Act - which marks the most significant action taken by US Congress on clean energy and climate change in the nation’s history - have meant that companies like National Grid must propose and progress innovative solutions for decarbonising our power systems.
On #COP28’s Energy and Industry Day, we’re focusing on some of the most transformational clean energy projects we’ve embarked on or continued to progress in 2023.
In the UK:
The Great Grid Upgrade
The Great Grid Upgrade is the largest overhaul of the UK electricity grid in generations. By both building new infrastructure and upgrading the existing grid, these infrastructure projects are helping to connect more clean, green energy to homes and businesses across England and Wales.
In order to meet the ambitions set by the UK government’s British energy security strategy , 50GW of offshore wind power will need to be generated by 2030. The Great Grid Upgrade aims to connect this offshore wind energy to our homes and businesses by the end of the decade.
The Great Grid Upgrade will play a big part in?the UK government’s plan to boost homegrown power - it will not only help the UK switch to cleaner, more affordable energy?but will also ensure that we have an electricity network that's fit for the future.
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Reforming and accelerating grid connections
Grid connections play a central role in helping Britain meet its world-leading climate targets. Together with industry we’re already taking action on connections reform to radically change how clean energy projects plug in now and in the future.
Ofgem's approval of new queue management rules will facilitate the speeding up of clean energy project connections to the electricity transmission network. As the transmission owner in England and Wales, our team at National Grid Electricity Transmission (ET) has been working hard with Ofgem, the electricity system operator (ESO) and wider industry to make this important change.
This forms part of broader efforts to reform connections arrangements , spearheaded by the ESO (which owns the contractual relationship with connecting projects) and delivered jointly with our ET teams who design and build the infrastructure needed to plug projects in.
It also follows our work to unlock 20GW of connections capacity across our transmission and distribution networks and connect clean energy projects with a capacity equivalent to that of six Hinkley Point C nuclear power stations.
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Viking Link interconnector
Our newest interconnector - due to complete at the end of 2023 - will be the world’s longest onshore and subsea cable, stretching 765km (475 miles) from Bicker Fen in Lincolnshire to Revsing, Denmark.
Viking Link will enable the sharing of enough green electricity to power 1.4 million UK homes, and will give both Denmark and the UK access to a broader energy mix. Denmark has one of the highest proportions of wind generation in the world, so it is the perfect partner to help the UK meet its 2050 net zero emission targets.
This new interconnector is expected to save 900,000 tonnes of carbon emissions in its first year - the equivalent of taking 420,000 cars off the road.
Viking Link is National Grid’s sixth interconnector; our five existing cables join the UK with France (IFA and IFA2), The Netherlands (BritNed), Belgium (Nemo Link) and Norway (North Sea Link).
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In the US:
Twin States Clean Energy Link: Canada to New England
Twin States - our proposed transmission project to support New England's climate, clean energy and energy security goals - has recently been selected as one of three projects nationwide to receive investment through the US Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Transmission Facilitation Program.
Twin States will deliver clean energy from Canada to New England, to support the region’s carbon reduction goals and increase the supply of affordable clean energy. As a bi-directional line, it will enable clean energy producers in New England (such as offshore wind) to export excess capacity to Quebec during times of lower domestic demand, providing a critical boost to the region’s clean energy economy.
The line can transport 1,200 MW of clean, dispatchable power between New England and Canada, lowering carbon emissions, reducing customers’ utility bills and creating jobs and revenue, while having minimal environmental or visual impacts for local communities.
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Future Grid: Grid modernisation in Massachusetts
Massachusetts electric distribution companies, including National Grid, have delivered plans to transform the grid of the past into a smarter, more resilient two-way electricity superhighway that powers sustainable communities and provides customers the opportunity to participate in and benefit from the clean energy transition.
Our Future Grid plan focuses on the scope and scale of what we collectively must do in both the short- and long-term to combat climate change and enable a more electrified future, as well as the policy and regulatory changes needed to make it happen.
We propose investing approximately $2 billion in the next five years alone in three key areas:
The proposal also includes plans to expand our strategic workforce development programmes, equipping more individuals with pathways to careers in clean energy.
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Community Offshore Wind: New York
Offshore wind will be critical for the US - particularly in the Northeast - to reduce emissions, meet climate goals and create local jobs.
A joint venture in partnership with RWE renewables, Community Offshore Wind supports our efforts to advance a clean energy future and also to achieve the US’ offshore wind and climate targets in the coming decades.
Community Offshore Wind was selected by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to develop 1.3 GW of offshore wind capacity for New York State – enough clean energy to power nearly 500,000 households. The project will create over 800 new jobs, deliver $3.3 billion in incremental economic benefits, help build a strong local supply chain, and develop the clean energy workforce that our energy transition will need.
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