To achieve clean power by 2030, the UK must connect an additional 120 GW of renewable generation and storage capacity to the grid. Ensuring projects can connect quickly and easily, alongside a proactive approach to grid capacity planning, is critical.
Connections reform has now moved from policy design into implementation, with NESO, network operators and developers working through Gate 1 and Gate 2 outcomes, revised offer timelines and the practical delivery risks that will determine whether the reformed queue supports Clean Power 2030.
Regen consistently highlighted the severe delays facing projects seeking a grid connection, and the need for strategic, anticipatory investment across transmission and distribution networks. We work closely with government, Ofgem, NESO, network operators and industry to ensure the reformed process is deliverable in practice and supports the pipeline needed for a clean power system.
Our CEO, Merlin Hyman, is a commissioner on the Clean Power 2030 Advisory Commission, supporting Chris Stark, Head of Mission Control, to deliver the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. Through this, and through direct engagement with NESO, Ofgem, DESNZ, DNOs and TOs, Regen is raising evidence on the key delivery issues now emerging from connections reform.
Regen’s Grid Connections Working Group brings together Regen and Electricity Storage Network members to address live issues across distribution and transmission connections. In 2026, the group is focused on how the reformed process operates in practice, including queue formation and management, Gate 1 and Gate 2 outcomes, delivery milestones, fees and securities.
Alongside generation reform, Regen is engaging with DESNZ and Ofgem on demand connections reform. We support the principle of prioritising strategically important demand where this supports decarbonisation and economic growth, but have called for clearer evidence on the demand queue, greater transparency on prioritisation criteria, and appropriate routes for local and regional input.
Regen is also working to ensure connections reform aligns with wider strategic energy planning, including the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan and Regional Energy Strategic Planning. A reformed queue must prioritise projects that are ready and strategically aligned, while providing the clarity and confidence needed for projects to invest, progress planning and deliver at pace.
The energy market must evolve to deliver a net zero energy system. The UK government’s Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) has stimulated a vigorous debate around whether or not the GB electricity market is fundamentally ‘broken’.
The energy market must evolve to deliver a net zero energy system. The UK government’s Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) has stimulated a vigorous debate around whether or not the GB electricity market is fundamentally ‘broken’. Our view – and that of our members and the majority of industry stakeholders – is that it is not. However, while we would oppose the more radical market reform options, which would significantly hinder private-sector investment in renewables, we do believe a program of reform is required.
In response to the government’s consultations on REMA, we brought together developers, policymakers and stakeholders with an aim to shape a market that works for clean power, encourages investment, drives innovation and keeps costs fair for consumers.
Regen has advocated for changes that better align market incentives with the needs of a decarbonised grid, including mechanisms to reward flexibility, enable local energy solutions and integrate storage effectively. Our director, Johnny Gowdy, sits on REMA advisory board.
Following an update in December 2024, the government's REMA team is continuing work to consider a zonal market design, grandfathering arrangements and whether there is a sufficient business case to embark on such a radical market reform. The REMA team has said it is still undecided between zonal and national market designs, but that a decision will be made before the CfD Allocation Round 7 in the summer.
Regen’s view remains that a shift to zonal pricing would not bring the theoretical benefits that have been claimed and would be high risk given the need to secure investment and accelerate deployment of generation, storage and network capacity. It is also a distraction from the Clean Power Plan and imperative to reduce consumer bills. Instead, reform should be focused on our current market structures to deliver further benefits to consumers, without the investment risk and unintended consequences of zonal market separation. Regen is continuing to engage with the REMA team over the coming months, supported by the views and input of our members.
Planning plays a critical role in delivering a clean, secureand affordable energy system. To meet the target of 95% clean power by 2030,new energy infrastructure, including renewable generation, storage andnetworks, needs to be developed at scale and speed. Currently, local planningresources are stretched, planning policy is hindering renewable deployment andcommunity benefits are not being realised.
The volume of planning applications for renewable energy projects of all scales in England has more than trebled in the last decade andmust yet rise significantly if we are to meet our net zero targets. However, the planning system is not fit for purpose, which is creating delays that impact the deployment of essential renewable energy and storage projects.
Regen has long promoted the positive role that planning canhave in achieving a smart energy future.
Our planning working group provides an opportunity to discuss issues faced in the planning process and how we can shape work onplanning reform. In light of the positive steps taken by the UK government, including removing the planning restrictions on onshore wind in England and updating the National Planning Policy Framework, the input from our members is more crucial than ever before to ensure that opportunities to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and storage projects are not missed. This includes aligning planning policies and planning decisions with the 2050 net zero carbon target, providing further weight to low-carbon infrastructure in the planning process and introducing specialist renewable energy planners to work across local authorities.
In January 2026, Regen brought together planners, policy-makers and developers to discuss these challenges at our Planning Conference, providing a focal point for the sector to review progress, theimpact of reforms and the changes to planning still needed to enable a fast and fair energy transition.
In January 2024, Regen’s planning and communities lead, Rebecca Windemer, gave evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee on enabling the sustainable electrification of the economy. Our recommendations were reflected in the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee’s report on the findings of the inquiry. Rebecca also sits on the government’s Onshore Wind Industry Task Force.
We are also focusing on combatting misinformation and upskilling political stakeholders on the complexities of the planning system, through our guide to onshore renewables developed with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Renewable and Sustainable Energy, and our recent projectwith the Royal Town Planning Institute, investigating the links between energy planning and local spatial planning to understand how they could be better integrated.
We recognise that planners are at the heart of the energy transition, yet local planning teams are often stretched, with limited time and capacity to keep up with evolving policy, technical standards and best practice. That's why Regen partnered with DESNZ, GB Energy and the Local Net Zero Hubs to deliver new guidance and training for local planning authorities on assessing renewable and low-carbon energy infrastructure.
We are continuing to engage with NESO on the development of their new strategic energy plans, including the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) and Regional Energy Strategic Plans. As a member of the Expert AdvisoryGroup on the SSEP, we are aiming to increase transparency in the process and ensure that this new plan for our energy system is investable and deliverable.
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Bringing people along on the transition to a clean power system is crucial for the delivery of our essential net zero targets. This includes not just engaging with individuals and communities, but understanding how to maximise the value of a clean energy system, particularly for those most at-risk of being left behind.
We face a pivotal moment to reshape how people and communities participate in and benefit from the energy transition. Net zero will require huge changes in how people heat their homes, travel, work and interact with the energy system. This requires meaningful engagement to ensure that the transition reflects the needs of people and places everywhere, and that everyone can benefit in the process. Regen advocates for passing the value of net zero back to consumers, through the full spectrum of benefits, from lower energy bills, increased energy security and better jobs.
And for the energy industry itself, we cannot hope to assemble a more inclusive one, capable of undertaking the challenge ahead, without more people from underrepresented backgrounds at the table.
Working alongside our members as part of our planning working group, we have developed a best practice guide for community engagement that covers a broader range of technologies needed for net zero. Our paper ‘Sharing Power: unlocking shared ownership for a fast and fair transition’, funded by the William Grant Foundation, provides a comprehensive framework for how shared ownership can support a just energy transition, offering detailed actions for the UK government and GB Energy to harness its potential for people, planet and the UK’s net zero mission.
We are actively calling for stronger commercial incentives for developers, with a phased mandate for shared ownership on projects post-2030, as well as mandating community benefits to further build public trust and unlock wider support for renewable energy. We called on the government to develop and commit to a Fair Net Zero Framework and further support households in fuel poverty by implementing more targeted energy bill support via a social tariff mechanism. We continue to await further detail on the government’s plan to deliver a just transition.
