It’s been just over two months since we submitted our next Transmission Business Plan (RIIO-T3) to Ofgem on 11th December 2024. The RIIO-T3 Business Plan is a significant milestone for our transmission business and the journey to #NetZero, enabling a more sustainable future for us all. Over recent weeks, we have engaged with hundreds of stakeholders to share our plan and gather important feedback on our proposals. We’d like to thank all the stakeholders who have taken the time to read our plans and provided a response to Ofgem’s Call for Evidence. We would also like to extend thanks to everyone who has participated in our stakeholder meetings, provided feedback via our online consultation and to the 300+ attendees of our recent webinar. These activities, and the insights stakeholders have provided, will be key in supporting Ofgem in assessing our business plan – ensuring it most effectively delivers key outcomes for consumers.
Two days after we submitted our business plan on 11 December 2024, the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan was published, as one of the government’s 5 key economic growth missions. Clean Power 2030 sets ambitious targets to have Clean Power sources (such as wind, solar and batteries) producing at least 95% of GB’s generation. Our RIIO-T3 business plan was ready for the government’s plan and outlines the key role our network plays in connecting Clean Power and transmitting it to homes and businesses. Look out for a future explainer video discussing the key role our network, and business plan, plays in Clean Power 2030.
Our plan is critical in supporting the Government’s #CleanPower2030 plan, contributing to sustainable economic growth and the realisation of Net Zero targets by 2045 in Scotland and 2050 in the wider UK. Through the projects within our plan, we will invest £10.6 billion, for the period 2026 to 2031, to upgrade and grow our transmission network in Central and Southern Scotland.
This investment will significantly enhance GB critical energy infrastructure to drive our shared goals for secure, sustainable and affordable energy in the long-term, stimulating growth in GDP and jobs, while managing risks and uncertainty.
Our plan will add value to economic growth and local communities, creating a lasting, positive legacy for future generations. Independent research from The Centre for Energy Policy (CEP) at the University of Strathclyde has concluded that investment from our plan could contribute sustained economic benefit to UK GDP of around £2bn per annum and will support over 11,000 jobs across Scotland and the rest of the UK. We plan to directly create around 1,400 new, high-quality green jobs – effectively doubling our current workforce.
Since we submitted our business plan in December, our network has responded to two major storms – Darragh and Éowyn. On Friday 24 January the network was battered by hurricane speed winds of 100mph from Storm Éowyn, with power supplies, roads, transport and infrastructure bearing the brunt of the impact. While most customers were back on supply within the first 24 hours, work continued non-stop until restoration was complete for all those affected by the storm in the very early hours of Thursday 30th January.
These recent storms highlight the importance of investment to protect and enhance our network’s resilience – ensuring secure and resilient supplies of energy for our customers. Now and in the coming years, we are facing levels of risk that need to be managed from changes to the mix of generation and customer technologies, to climate change, extreme weather, physical and increasingly sophisticated cyber-related threats.
During these storms, the most significant damage was seen across our distribution network. Our transmission network held up well, but did experience some faults and disruption. As both our networks are intrinsically linked, a transmission fault can have significant knock-on effects at a distribution level.
Within our RIIO-T3 Business Plan, we outline how we will increase the resilience of our transmission assets including overhead lines, underground cables, circuit breakers, transformers, substation systems & infrastructure. We have also developed a Climate Resilience Strategy (CRS) which outlines our approach to maintaining a safe and resilient transmission network amid these evolving climate challenges. The strategy is not just about mitigating risks but also about seizing opportunities to innovate and improve the overall efficiency and sustainability of the network.
Ofgem will now continue to review our business plan, and the responses received through their Call for Evidence. The next milestone will be Ofgem’s Draft Determination of our business plan which we expect this summer. This is a key part of the price control process, where Ofgem can challenge network operators to make changes to their business plans before their final decision at the end of the year.
To stay up to date on our RIIO-T3 Business Plan, please Register as a Stakeholder, ticking ‘SP Transmission’ as one of your interests: Survey Details | Register as a Stakeholder
You can also view our full business plan, blogs and explainer videos on our RIIO-T3 web page.