Connectologists® Catherine Cleary and Kyle Murchie are joined by Rachael Eynon in her first episode as a Connectologist®, covering the key grid connection developments of February 2026. 

The headline topic is Ofgem's call for input on Demand Reform, closing 13 March. The combined transmission and distribution demand queue reached around 42GW in summer 2024 before rising to roughly 125GW, prompting a pause on new transmission applications. Ofgem's response introduces three pillars: 

Roadnight Taylor is drafting a proposal for a potential change to licence exemptions under the Electricity Act on asset ownership and will publish insights ahead of the 13 March call for input deadline. 

The episode also covers: 

Recorded 03 March 2026

This content was recorded on an earlier date. The connections landscape changes rapidly, so please treat any facts, figures, and guidance as a point-in-time view and verify current information before relying on it.

Our links:  

Website: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/  

Newsletter sign up: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/newsletter/  

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/roadnight-taylor-ltd/ 

Find if we fit at [email protected] 

Connectologists® Nikki Pillinger, Alex Ikonic, and Philip Bale examine the latest Connections Reform delays and the practical challenges developers face navigating milestones, technical limits uncertainty, and escalating project delivery costs.

Since recording, NESO published further revised timelines: Protected 2026/27 transmission offers now expected between 13 February and mid-April 2026, protected distribution between early March and end May 2026, with Phase 1 offers extending through mid-November 2026—months beyond the "few weeks" initially anticipated.

Key discussions:

Recorded 04 February 2026

This content was recorded on an earlier date. The connections landscape changes rapidly, so please treat any facts, figures, and guidance as a point-in-time view and verify current information before relying on it.

Our links:

Connectologists® Nikki Pillinger, Alex Ikonic, and Philip Bale examine the latest Connections Reform delays and the practical challenges developers face navigating milestones, technical limits uncertainty, and escalating project delivery costs.

Since recording, NESO published further revised timelines: Protected 2026/27 transmission offers now expected between 13 February and mid-April 2026, protected distribution between early March and end May 2026, with Phase 1 offers extending through mid-November 2026—months beyond the "few weeks" initially anticipated.

Key discussions:

Recorded 04 February 2026

Our links:

Connectologists® Kyle Murchie, Nikki Pillinger, and Philip Bale explore two modifications addressing network boundary charges—a barrier that has stifled countless projects. With both at consultation stage, developers and demand customers can shape how costs are allocated.

DCP461 has five options remaining after removing voltage-based rules. Approaches range from socialising costs through DUoS (Options 1.1/1.2), to Connection Asset Funding with or without capacity thresholds (Options 2.1/2.2), to clearer guidance on current practice (Option 3.1).

CMP460 initially considered three options before the proposer defined the proposal. The Original Proposal treats any shareable transmission asset at the network boundary as infrastructure, passing associated costs onto Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charges. There is still time for alternatives to be raised with the consultation responses key, informing Working Group Members and triggering action.

The conversation explores how different options balance developer certainty, customer impact, and fairness—with particular focus on how identical projects face vastly different costs depending on substation classification, and how to prevent smaller customers being exposed to prohibitive SGT charges.

CMP460 consultation closes 18 February 2026; DCP461 opens second week of February for three weeks. The Connectologists® encourage responses—either directly or through trade bodies.

Read more:

DCP461: https://statics.teams.cdn.office.net/evergreen-assets/safelinks/2/atp-safelinks.html

CMP460: https://www.neso.energy/industry-information/codes/cusc/modifications/cmp460-improving-transmission-connection-asset-charging

Recorded 04 February 2026

This content was recorded on an earlier date. The connections landscape changes rapidly, so please treat any facts, figures, and guidance as a point-in-time view and verify current information before relying on it.

Our links:

Website: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/

Newsletter sign up: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/newsletter/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/roadnight-taylor-ltd/

Find if we fit at [email protected]

Connectologists® Pete Aston, Kyle Murchie, and Alex Ikonic explore the mounting pressures developers face as Gate 2 offers arrive. Transmission offers have three months to accept but queries must be submitted within four weeks. Distribution offers are expected to have about four weeks, though this may vary between DNOs. Securities are due approximately 30 days after acceptance.

The key challenges developers are facing:

Critical next step: Don't put accepted offers "on the shelf"—immediately engage to confirm design progression, payment requirements, and where projects sit in TO gating windows.

We understand the complexity of grid connection challenges, and the Connectologists® hope these insights help developers navigate Gate 2 with greater clarity.

Recorded: 12 November 2025

This content was recorded on an earlier date. The connections landscape changes rapidly, so please treat any facts, figures, and guidance as a point-in-time view and verify current information before relying on it.

Our links:

Website: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/

Newsletter sign up: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/newsletter/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/roadnight-taylor-ltd/

Find if we fit at [email protected]

Welcome back to Part 2, where Connectologists® Catherine Cleary and Kyle Murchie continue their conversation with Graham Pannell from BayWa r.e, examining GB's constraint management crisis.

Graham explains how GB currently relies almost entirely on the Balancing Mechanism for constraints—leaving nothing to long-term planning or day-ahead signals. Using a golf analogy, he argues effective market design needs different tools for different timeframes:

Currently, GB is "in a bunker using only a putter."

The constraint cost reality: £3 billion in annual costs on the Scotland-England boundary could be addressed by infrastructure costing £0.27 billion annualised. Every pound invested in major grid delivery saves ten.

Graham highlights the political challenge: major infrastructure won't arrive until after the next election. The industry needs demonstrable shorter-term constraint reduction to maintain momentum toward clean power goals.

Listen to Part 1 here: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/connectology/podcasts/podcast-connection-uncertainty-graham-pannell-1/

Date Recorded 28th November 2025

This content was recorded on an earlier date. The connections landscape changes rapidly, so please treat any facts, figures, and guidance as a point-in-time view and verify current information before relying on it.

Our links:

Website: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/

 Newsletter sign up: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/newsletter/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/roadnight-taylor-ltd/

Find if we fit at [email protected]

In the final episode of The Demand Connection Conundrum series, Connectologist® Pete Aston and colleague Philip Bale speak with David Wildash, Chief Strategy Officer at Apatura, exploring how strategic demand placement in Scotland could unlock a £45 billion market opportunity while reducing curtailment costs for all consumers.

The core opportunity: Apatura is developing 2.3GW of data centre demand in Scotland's central belt, positioning major loads where excess renewables exist—benefiting the system and end consumers.

Key Issues

David's Solutions

Transformer classification clarity – In Scotland, TOs build to isolators; generators own transformers. Simply moving where isolators and transformers sit could enable demand connections—if transformers aren't classified as transmission assets.

Co-location questions – When pairing BESS (with generation license) and demand, does the generation license enable transmission ownership?

Demand license regime – Replicate generation license framework, provided grid code evolves appropriately

SQSS flexibility – Industrial customers with UPS and backup generation shouldn't face same security standards as domestic supply

Strategic placement – Locating demand where renewables exist reduces curtailment costs—"a slam dunk from a system operator perspective"

David's six-month goal: Electricity Act clarity on transmission asset definitions—the quickest unlock requiring no primary legislation.

Listen to the full series:

📌 Part 1 - Pete Aston's Series Introduction: https://youtu.be/8x3yP-kGF60?si=QnytC6Yh-d3HgVzh

📌 Part 2 - Ryan Adams (Innova): https://youtu.be/bT-FbWY5FpA?si=Rn-ZWNMokyF13eHQ

📌 Part 3 - Spencer Thompson (Eclipse): https://youtu.be/-tMo5Z99jqs?si=yj9fYFg5tTJAWIuz

Recorded 13th November 2025

This content was recorded on an earlier date. The connections landscape changes rapidly, so please treat any facts, figures, and guidance as a point-in-time view and verify current information before relying on it.

Our links:

Website: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/

Newsletter sign up: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/newsletter/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/roadnight-taylor-ltd/

Find if we fit at [email protected]

In this episode, Part 3 of a 4-part series, Connectologist® Pete Aston and colleague Alex Ikonic speak with Spencer Thompson, CEO of Eclipse Power Limited, exploring innovative solutions to transmission-level demand connection challenges.

The core challenge: Data centres need three to four-year connection timelines but, unlike renewables, they're competing directly with Europe for investment—making UK speed critical.

Key Issues

Three Pathways Forward

Spencer's six-month goal: industry consensus on multiple connection pathways with clear governmental leadership, applying the urgency demonstrated in Connections Reform.

Listen to the full series:

📌 Part 1 - Pete Aston's Series Introduction: https://youtu.be/8x3yP-kGF60?si=QnytC6Yh-d3HgVzh

📌 Part 2 - Ryan Adams (Innova): https://youtu.be/bT-FbWY5FpA?si=Rn-ZWNMokyF13eHQ

📌 Part 4 - David Wildash (Apatura): https://youtu.be/GYIA569aZ7A?si=RAuvp7O5h7h77iDi

Recorded 13th November 2025

This content was recorded on an earlier date. The connections landscape changes rapidly, so please treat any facts, figures, and guidance as a point-in-time view and verify current information before relying on it.

Our links:

Website: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/

 Newsletter sign up: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/newsletter/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/roadnight-taylor-ltd/

Find if we fit at [email protected]

In this episode, Part 2 of a 4-part series on The Demand Connection Conundrum, Connectologist® Pete Aston and colleague Kyle Murchie speak with Ryan Adams, Managing Director at Innova, exploring the regulatory barriers preventing hyperscale demand projects—particularly data centres—from connecting efficiently to the transmission network.

The fundamental problem: Demand customers cannot own transmission assets, forcing National Grid to build costly step-down infrastructure that consumes scarce substation space desperately needed for clean power connections.

Key Issues Discussed:

Ryan's Three Solutions:

Ryan emphasizes growing momentum across DESNZ, Ofgem, and NESO, but stresses the need for bold leadership before Gate 2 offers "bake in" current inefficiencies. His six-month goal: either the Ofgem letter or NGET's commitment to build out—both "absolutely doable."

Make sure to listen to Parts 3 and 4 with Spencer Thompson (Eclipse) and David Wildash (Apatura) to explore these issues from different industry perspectives and hear the complete picture of this critical infrastructure challenge.

Listen to the full series:

📌 Part 1 - Pete Aston's Series Introduction: https://youtu.be/8x3yP-kGF60?si=QnytC6Yh-d3HgVzh

📌 Part 3 - Spencer Thompson (Eclipse): https://youtu.be/-tMo5Z99jqs?si=yj9fYFg5tTJAWIuz

📌 Part 4 - David Wildash (Apatura): https://youtu.be/GYIA569aZ7A?si=RAuvp7O5h7h77iDi

Recorded 13th November 2025

This content was recorded on an earlier date. The connections landscape changes rapidly, so please treat any facts, figures, and guidance as a point-in-time view and verify current information before relying on it.

Our links:

Website: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/

Newsletter sign up: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/newsletter/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/roadnight-taylor-ltd/

Find if we fit at [email protected]

In this episode, Part 1 of The Demand Connection Conundrum series, Connectologist® Pete Aston synthesizes what's to come in Parts 2, 3, and 4—conversations with Ryan Adams (Innova), Spencer Thompson (Eclipse), and David Wildash (Apatura)—exploring critical barriers facing hyperscale demand projects, particularly data centres, attempting to connect to the transmission network.

The core challenge: Demand projects cannot own transmission assets, creating fundamental obstacles as GB competes globally for investment in data centres and other large-scale infrastructure.

Key Issues Identified

Potential Solutions

Make sure to tune in to the three episodes to explore these issues and solutions in more detail, and to hear the different perspectives on these challenges.

Listen to the full series:

📌 Part 2 - Ryan Adams (Innova): https://youtu.be/bT-FbWY5FpA?si=Rn-ZWNMokyF13eHQ

📌 Part 3 - Spencer Thompson (Eclipse): https://youtu.be/-tMo5Z99jqs?si=yj9fYFg5tTJAWIuz

📌 Part 4 - David Wildash (Apatura): https://youtu.be/GYIA569aZ7A?si=RAuvp7O5h7h77iDi

Recorded 13th November 2025

This content was recorded on an earlier date. The connections landscape changes rapidly, so please treat any facts, figures, and guidance as a point-in-time view and verify current information before relying on it.

Our links: Website: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/

 Newsletter sign up: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/newsletter/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/roadnight-taylor-ltd/

Find if we fit at [email protected]