Executive Summary
Energy UK welcomes the consultation and direction of travel on strategic demand connections, and would note the following core positions.
- Improved coordination and transparency are required, including clarifying roles and responsibilities, and setting out how this work will coordinate with wider connections reform and with timelines for market auctions and technology support schemes across energy.
- The Government must develop its thinking on other sources of strategic demand, going beyond data centres to look at housing, public buildings, specific types of energy storage, hydrogen and CCUS, EV charging hubs, and other demand that will be strategically important to the Government’s policy objectives and the broader Industrial Strategy.
- Where possible, the approach should prioritise projects that can deliver wider energy system benefits, aiding in delivering system value for all customers.