The National Energy System Operator (NESO) has announced a revised timetable for key strategic energy plans for Great Britain.
It said the final Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) will now be delivered in Autumn 2027. This date is dependent on the Secretary of State’s decision on the SSEP pathway, which will be made after NESO submits pathway options to the Secretary of State for consideration in Summer 2026.
The Centralised Strategic Network Plan (CSNP) and Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs) will now be published by the end of 2028. This is also dependent on the Secretary of State’s decision on the SSEP pathway being made in Summer 2026.
A refreshed second Transitional Centralised Strategic Network Plan will be published by 30 June 2026. NESO says this timetable will allow it to incorporate the new connections delivery pipeline.
NESO says the delay was to allow it to assess the impact of refreshed energy generation cost data on delivery timelines. This new data, released by DESNZ, “is a significant step forward in transparency, enabling all stakeholders to see and understand the key inputs shaping national energy planning”. NESO and DESNZ decided to re-run the SSEP modelling using the latest data to ensure the SSEP is as robust and resilient as possible.