For more information on the transmission queue pause, please find here:

Transition to Connections Reform | National Energy System Operator  

For more information on Clean Power 2030 targets, please find here:

Clean Power 2030 Action Plan: A new era of clean electricity: Connections reform annex 

For more information on readiness criteria and the connections network design methodology, please find here:

Connections Reform | National Energy System Operator

The NESO has announced that they will pause receipt of transmission generation connections applications from the 29th January 2025, until the NESO opens the first application window following the approval for Connections Reform. The pause of the Transmission queue is part of the wider connections reform process that NESO is undertaking this year, supported by the Government and Ofgem. This aims to enable the faster connection of viable projects which are aligned to strategic energy plans, in order to support the transition to net zero. 

While we and all other DNOs will continue to process connection applications, NESO’s pause will affect our customers who will require a Transmission Impact Assessment (TIA). This closure affects you if you have or are applying to install generation or storage that is: 

  • ≥1MW2 in England & Wales 
  • ≥200kW on Scottish mainland 
  • ≥50kW on Scottish Islands  

For any generation or storage connections under these thresholds, or any pure demand connections, the business-as-usual process will continue to apply.  For hybrid connections, your connection will be affected by this pause, as per the thresholds above. 

The closure of the transmission queue from 29th January 2025 means that we will not be able to submit Transmission Impact Assessments (TIAs) to NESO. We have set out below what this means for customers in different situations.  

If you have not submitted an application but are considering doing so for generation or storage  connections which exceed the thresholds outline above: 

  • You can still submit an application at any point, but we will not be able to progress you to receive an updated offer which includes any Transmission dependencies until later in 2025 when we expect NESO will open the first new applications window. NESO will then assess TIA applications against new readiness and strategic alignment criteria. These criteria are currently being assessed by Ofgem following NESO final proposals on the 20th December 2024.
  • Please contact our Business Relationship Management team for more information pre-application: businessrelationships@sse.com 

If you have already applied for a generation or storage connection which exceeds the thresholds outlined above but have not accepted a distribution offer on or prior to 15th December 2024: 

  • We will not be able to progress you to receive information on required Transmission dependencies before the closure of the queue on XXX. This is due to the time it takes to make an application to the NESO with regards to the relevant studies required.   
  • Therefore, we will not be able to project progress you until later in 2025, when your progression will be subject to the NESO’s readiness and strategic alignment criteria  

If you have accepted a distribution offer for a generation or storage connection which exceeds the thresholds outline above, on or prior to the 15th December 2024: 

  • It usually takes up to 3 months for us to submit at TIA to NESO post customer acceptance of the distribution offer. We are committing to accelerate this process to submit the TIA ahead of the NESO pause for any project with an accepted Distribution offer prior to 15 December. You will be notified once the TIA has been submitted 
  • You may be required to sign your transmission offer in an expedited process, what is expected to be an expedited period of less than the usual 30 days for signing during April 2025. This is required in order to receive your updated offer which includes any Transmission dependencies. You will be contacted by your contract manager ahead of this process. 
  • Once you receive your updated offer which includes any transmission dependencies, you will be included in the wider reassessment of the queue exercise in 2025. This will be based on Government’s Clean Power 2030 targets, and NESO’s readiness and connections network design methodology 

We are aware that there will be a number of questions on this process. We will be running a session on the pause on the 27th January to understand customers questions in order to inform our work plans. This is part of our fortnightly reform customer webinar, which you can sign up to here:

Engage 360

We are also developing a mechanism to collect readiness evidence from our customers in preparation for the reassessment exercise all operators will be undertaking later this year. We will engage on this further over the coming months and publish further details in due course. 

For more information on the transmission queue pause, please find here:

Transition to Connections Reform | National Energy System Operator  

For more information on Clean Power 2030 targets, please find here:

Clean Power 2030 Action Plan: A new era of clean electricity: Connections reform annex 

For more information on readiness criteria and the connections network design methodology, please find here:

Connections Reform | National Energy System Operator