Responding to today's publications, Lawrence Slade, Chief Executive of Energy Networks Association (ENA) which represents the UK's electricity network operators said:
"We welcome today’s decision as an important step towards achieving the UK's clean energy goals and supporting the creation of a grid that can meet the UK's future demands for affordable energy.
"The ED3 framework is evolving and we need to ensure it is applied in the right way, with recognition of the differences between types of customer and regions, in order to maintain the pace of change. It must enable networks to build the supply chains and create the skilled workforces that will be vital to the long-term development of the grid and unlock the wider economic benefits of the transition. We believe that the proposed shift to longer-term planning and more proactive investment will deliver an efficient transition at the lowest-overall cost to customers.
"We will be reviewing the full details of the decision over the coming weeks. The framework should support network operators in achieving the step change in investment that the National Infrastructure Commission's recent report recognised was needed to deliver the focused long-term vision vital for realising the government's decarbonisation and energy security ambitions.”
Notes to editor
- Today’s decision notes Ofgem’s confidence that longer-term investment will ultimately support a reduction in overall energy costs for consumers.
- It would be premature to speculate on the specific impact on customers’ bills, as these decisions have not yet been made. Today, the cost of running, maintaining and upgrading our electricity networks makes up around 10% of the average duel fuel bill. That's around 48p per day. For this, our network operators sustain 26,000 jobs, facilitate 1,500 apprenticeships - with hundreds more being recruited this year - and ensure the safe, reliable operation of over 500,000 miles of wires and cables.
- Electricity networks are expected to need to attract private investment of more than £100bn between 2021 and 2031, investing in our grid to promote growth in our economy and support the country's decarbonisation and energy security ambitions.
About us
Energy Networks Association (ENA) is the industry body representing the energy networks. Our members include every major electricity network operator in the UK. The electricity networks are at the heart of the energy transition. They directly employ more than 26,000 people in the UK, including 1,500 apprentices. They are spending and investing £33bn in our electricity grids over the coming years, to ensure safe, reliable and secure energy supplies for the millions of homes and businesses reliant on power every day.
Press office contact
Our press office can assist with enquiries from journalists and content creators only. You can email press@energynetworks.org. Please note, if your enquiry is urgent or requires a response out of normal working hours you should call us on 0204 599 7691.