Andy Burnham announces Great British Grid

  Posted by: electime      30th September 2026

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a new publicly owned grid company to speed up connections, but industry says maintenance, monitoring and skills must keep pace

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has unveiled plans for Great British Grid, a new publicly owned company intended to accelerate grid connections and bring UK energy costs into line with European neighbours within 10 years. Announced during his keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool on Tuesday, the new body will sit within Great British Energy. It will compete with private sector network operators, with the aim of increasing competition, reducing costs and speeding up delivery for businesses waiting to connect.

Mr Burnham said grid connection currently “holds Britain back”, warning that the country “won’t get growth if we don’t fix it”.

According to the government, Great British Grid will invest public capital alongside private investment in electricity network infrastructure projects across the country, working with existing investors, developers and network operators. It is intended to complement rather than replace existing energy institutions, and the role of current network operators stays the same. However, the government will speed up competitive tendering for transmission projects, allowing a wider range of organisations, including Great British Grid, to bid to deliver new infrastructure. Initial funding will come from Great British Energy’s existing budget. The launch follows work with NESO and Ofgem to overhaul the connections queue, removing more than 300GW of speculative capacity, and comes alongside plans to expand self-build options so developers and businesses can build their own connections where feasible.

Industry has broadly welcomed the move while calling for its scope to widen. BEAMA chief executive Yselkla Farmer notes that the proposal centres on transmission connections, stressing that investment is needed “top to bottom”.

David Hall, Zone President, UK & Ireland at Schneider Electric, adds that anything that accelerates electrification and investment in the infrastructure needed to deliver it is welcome. “The scale of the UK’s energy transition means we need sustained investment right across the system, from transmission and distribution networks through to the supply chains, technologies and skilled workforce needed to deliver them.

“Reducing grid delays and strengthening network capacity are essential to unlocking new industrial investment, clean energy projects and economic growth. However, investment must happen from top to bottom. As the pace of network deployment increases, it will be equally important to expand manufacturing capacity, develop skillsand strengthen supply chain resilience to avoid new bottlenecks emerging.

“We welcome the focus on faster connections and network delivery. Over the past year, supply chain companies, network operators, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and Ofgem have been working on a new Electricity Networks Sector Growth Plan which will set out a long-term approach to modernising networks and building the capacity needed to deliver electrification at scale. We look forward to working with GB Grid and other partners to ensure this momentum continues and that the commitments already agreed across the sector are carried forward.

“Success will ultimately depend on close collaboration between government, network operators and industry. If delivered effectively, these reforms can help connect more clean energy, improve competitiveness and create the conditions for electrification-led growth across the UK.”

However, Mike Slevin, Director of EMEA Market at Fluke Corporation, argues that changing who controls the network will not resolve the UK’s infrastructure constraints on its own.

“Grid constraints have become a brake on British growth,” he said. “Manufacturers and other energy-intensive businesses need faster, more predictable connections to electrify their operations, expand capacity and invest with confidence.

“Great British Grid is a welcome step, although changing who controls the network will not resolve the UK’s infrastructure constraints on its own. Its success will ultimately be judged by whether it delivers a more reliable and resilient energy system. With electricity demand rising across manufacturing, data centres, EV charging and other sectors, increasing capacity must be matched by investment in the monitoring, measurement and maintenance of the infrastructure already in place. This will be vital to identifying inefficiencies, anticipating equipment failures and ensuring new capacity reaches businesses reliably.”

Slevin added that the government’s ten-year ambition hinges on having enough skilled people to deliver it.

“Delivering the government’s ten-year ambition will also require people with the skills to install, test and maintain increasingly complex electrical infrastructure,” he said. “A national energy plan should therefore bring together government, network operators, industry and training providers, with clear priorities for grid modernisation, workforce development and faster connections. That is how this announcement can translate into lower costs, greater energy security and meaningful industrial growth.”

Further detail on how Great British Grid will be structured and funded is expected to follow.