Decision allowing National Grid Electricity System Operator Limited to submit the NOA methodology by 31 March 2025 and publish the updated NOA report by 31 January 2026
Decision
Publication date
Company
Industry sector
Transmission Network
Ofgem has decided to direct the ESO to publish an updated NOA report by 31 January 2026, instead of by 31 January 2025. We have also decided to direct the ESO to submit the NOA methodology by 31 March 2025, instead of 1 August 2024, for approval by the Authority.
To meet the challenges of net zero, the GB electricity system is moving towards a more strategically planned system. The ESO will move away from the current NOA methodology and transition towards the Centralised Strategic Network Plan that will take a coordinated, and longer-term approach to network planning in GB. In the interim, the ESO produced its latest NOA report, called the “Beyond 2030” report, in March 2024 to demonstrate the network build needed to facilitate the huge increase in low-carbon generation required to decarbonise the electricity system by 2035.
The recommended projects in this report require further maturing, and will be reassessed in a subsequent NOA report, including the consideration of the new government mission to achieve clean power by 2030. Therefore, we have decided to allow a greater amount of time for the ESO to work with Transmission Owners to develop the next NOA report.