The British energy group Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN) has launched a GBP10.6bn (€12.8bn) plan to upgrade and transform the UK’s transmission network. The RIIO-T3 plan, which was submitted to the regulator Ofgem, covers the next price control period from 2026 to 2031, and calls for new and upgraded transmission infrastructure in southern Scotland, including 12 new transmission substations, 450 km of upgraded existing circuits, 87 km of upgraded overhead lines and 35 km of underground cables.
The investments are aimed at helping to increase capacity on Great Britain’s transmission grid. SP Energy Networks has also called for investments in network resilience and the maintenance of existing assets to connect some 19 GW of new renewable energy to the grid. The new plan is more than three times larger than the GBP3.4bn (€4.1bn) RIIO-T2 plan.
Earlier in December 2024, SSEN Transmission, a subsidiary of the British power utility SSE, also submitted its RIIO-T3 plan to Ofgem, planning to invest at least GBP22bn (€26.7bn) in power grid infrastructure in the UK.