Ofgem has confirmed the activities that it has charged the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to undertake as Great Britain’s Regional Energy Strategic Planner, following a consultation on the activities NESO would undertake in this role.
The aim of the Regional Energy Strategic Planner is to join up national and local energy plans, to help ensure local areas get the energy infrastructure they need to meet their plans for economic growth and net zero. It will create 11 Regional Energy Strategic Plans, covering Scotland, Wales and nine regions across England.
NESO said it will adopt a whole system approach to the development of Regional Energy Strategic Plans, working across all energy vectors, including electricity, gas and across heat and transport, to help drive local energy network investment. The methodology for the creation of Regional Energy Strategic Plans will be consulted on later this year, with the first plans delivered by the end of 2027.
Meanwhile, Transitional Regional Energy Strategic Plans will inform the 2028-2033 business plans for Electricity Distribution Network Operators.
In developing Regional Energy Strategic Plans NESO will
• Set up Strategic Boards of local stakeholders for each region, so plans accurately reflect context and priorities for each
• Ensure each region has a long-term vision setting out energy priorities
• Develop net zero pathways for each region taking a whole system approach across networks and energy technologies, with a single pathway for the short term, and multiple pathways for the longer term
• Ensure a single coherent view of demand, generation and energy network investment in each of the eleven regions
• Enable regional strategic energy needs to feed into GB-wide strategic energy planning.

See more information from Ofgem here.