Planning for the future: The strategic spatial energy plan

On 22 October 2024, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) formally commissioned the newly formed National Energy System Operator (NESO) to publish and implement a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) in respect of the UK's national energy infrastructure.

The government hope that the development of a long-term strategy for the expansion of the UK's energy infrastructure will provide much needed certainty and stability for investors in the clean energy space, which will in turn "accelerate and optimise Great Britain's energy transition".

The SSEP, the final form of which will need to secure the backing of the Scottish and Welsh administrations, will assess how best to spread new energy projects across the UK with the goal of speeding up project delivery and reducing costs. The first iteration of the plan will be published in 2026 and will focus on electricity generation and storage (including, notably, hydrogen assets).

Integration with Clean Power 30 and other initiatives

The results of the SSEP are intended to feed directly into the Centralised Strategic Network Plan (CSNP) which is also due to be published by NESO in 2026 and will propose a strategic plan for the UK's transmission network infrastructure.

Alongside these initiatives also sits the 'Clean Power 2030' plan, for which in August of this year the government commissioned NESO to provide practical advice on how to achieve their proposed clean power goals for 2030.

One of the five "enablers" of achieving the objectives of the 'Clean Power 2030' is grid connection reform, which will clearly cross over with the future recommendations made in the SSEP. It may now be the case that some initiatives (are reliant on the completion of and success of others rather than working alongside each other. Given the time frames for investigation, consultation, and implementation of the SSEP the government have set themselves potentially very difficult targets.

DESNZ have made clear that whilst the 'Clean Power 2030' commission is independent from the SSEP, there is an expectation that the recommendations given by NESO in their advice would be relevant to the SSEP and should be considered in the development of the long-term strategic plan. Commissioning the same body, namely the NESO, to progress the various plans identified above, offers an opportunity for these schemes to operate in tandem and complement one another.

What does this mean for the energy sector?

The government is keen to ensure that the SSEP is acceptable to as wide an audience as possible and intends to consult with a variety of interested parties, including the public and industry bodies, as well as NGOs. As noted in its formal commission letter to the NESO: "The purpose of this exercise is to ensure that the resulting publication reflects not only technical, environmental and economic considerations, but also takes account of dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders.".

Developers, owners, and operators of clean energy projects will be directly affected by any proposals made under the SSEP and should, at the appropriate time, take the opportunity to actively engage with the proposals that are put forward. At the same time it is important to recognise that the SSEP will be a 'live' document, with future iterations giving an opportunity for 'course correction', where proposed initiatives are not delivering the intended results or where external events mandate changes.

Whilst interested parties may have a hard time keeping up with the plethora of recent announcements and co-existing initiatives, such initiatives demonstrate a commitment to the key pledges of the Labour Party, which is encouraging to see.

Get in touch

Our team has significant experience helping clients to navigate the complexities of proposed reforms in the energy sector. We can offer expert advice at the outset of any proposed projects and provide guidance for navigating the current system and proposed changes which may affect future projects.

Please do get in touch with our team in you have any questions.