LONDON (Reuters) – Britain is planning to overhaul the country’s planning system to make it easier to install overhead cables and pylons, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said on Sunday, a move to help the government reach its net zero targets.
A spokesperson for the department said the government had increased the amount of renewable energy capacity connected to the grid by 500% since 2010 but wanted to do more.
“We want to go further as part of our plans to power up Britain with cleaner, cheaper and more secure homegrown energy.
“That is why we’re working to cut the time it takes to connect projects, building upon work already under way by network operators and (regulator) Ofgem,” the spokesperson said, confirming a report in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper.
Plans are expected to be brought forward later this year.
Last month, the Climate Change Committee of legislators said Britain had lost its position as a global leader on climate action and was not doing enough to meet its mid-century net zero target.
(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by David Holmes)
