[SMM Energy Flash] UK Creates Publicly Owned Great British Grid to Accelerate Power Network Expansion

Published: Sep 30, 2026 02:14 (GMT+8)

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The UK government is creating Great British Grid (GB Grid), a new publicly owned electricity network company under Great British Energy, aimed at accelerating grid investment, increasing competition and shortening connection times for businesses and renewable-energy projects. The entity will be able to invest alongside and compete with private network operators for new transmission infrastructure, marking the return of a publicly owned participant to Britain’s electricity network sector following privatisation. The government is expected to deploy existing Great British Energy funding to support the initiative, while the wider UK electricity network is projected to require around £70 billion of investment over the next five years. The plan forms part of the government’s broader effort to expand grid capacity, facilitate renewable-energy connections and bring UK energy costs closer to levels elsewhere in Europe over the coming decade.

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