Britain’s National Energy System Operator (NESO) has delayed publication of its Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) by several months to incorporate newly released energy generation cost data, the organisation said in a letter to industry stakeholders.
Julian Leslie, NESO’s director of strategic energy planning and chief engineer, said the decision was taken jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to ensure the plan reflects the most accurate information available. “NESO and DESNZ have taken the decision to re-run the SSEP modelling using this refreshed data to ensure our analysis and recommendations are based on the most credible and current information,” Leslie wrote.
DESNZ’s updated data will be made publicly accessible, allowing “stakeholders, consumers, and investors to see and understand key inputs shaping national energy planning,” he said. The revised information will also be used for the Centralised Strategic Network Plan (CSNP) and the accompanying Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESP).
Leslie acknowledged that the update will lengthen the timeline for the SSEP’s release. “While this will mean the timeline to develop the SSEP will extend by several more months, we believe it is the right thing to do to strengthen the quality and resilience of the plan,” he wrote.
