Great Britain’s National Energy System Operator (NESO) has launched a public consultation on the methodology that will guide its first set of regional energy strategic plans, the organisation said on Monday.
The consultation will run from 17 November 2025 to 16 January 2026 and aims to gather feedback from customers and stakeholders across the country. NESO plans to publish 11 regional strategic plans, covering Scotland, Wales and nine regions in England.
According to NESO, the plans will identify what energy infrastructure is required, where it should be located and when it should be delivered to support local economic growth and sustainability. The regional work forms part of the operator’s broader whole-system approach to long-term energy planning.
NESO said it will, for the first time, engage directly with local customers and stakeholders to incorporate local priorities and needs into its methodology. The final version of the methodology is scheduled for publication in summer 2026, following approval from Ofgem and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. After approval, the operator will work with local authorities, distribution networks, consumer groups and other stakeholders to develop the initial plans.
Julian Leslie, NESO’s director of strategic energy planning and chief engineer, said regional input is central to the programme. “To achieve the ambitions of every part of Great Britain and make the right choices to meet our future energy needs we need regional energy strategic plans that can reflect local priorities across every nation and region,” he said.
Leslie added that setting out the framework is essential to the process. “Establishing a robust methodology for this first set of eleven plans is critical to ensuring that we keep local voices central to how we strategically plan the future energy system,” he said.
He said the resulting plans would “play a key role in helping to establish a secure, affordable and clean energy system, one that underpins economic growth and sustainability in communities across Great Britain.”
