this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2025
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okay, so build more batteries
Octopus are an energy company, are they not allowed to build their own storage? Or do they just grift off the National Grid and are asking the government to do it
I don’t think Octopus are a DNO so don’t have any infrastructure. Aren’t they merely a reseller of electricity?
There are a number of projects to add additional HVDC links for power sharing and also a couple of battery storage stations.
The issue with National Grid is that it is subject to funding cycles, currently 5 years and the next one starting April 2026, so have to present justification for government money to improve the grid. They can present white papers during the funding cycle for re openers and sometimes money is spent at risk.
There is a £60bn investment going in to the grid over the next 5 years.
The flow of electricity is now controlled by NESO who are now a government entity, and currently in a separation period from National Grid.
Also, NESO just switched the queue for grid connection applications from "First Come, First Served" to "First Ready, First Connected" because the backlog is so long for DNOs (Distribution Network Operators) that there's a lot of zombied projects that rushed to get the application without planning permission or funding because the wait is so long.
Hopefully this coupled with additional funding and planning reform will be enough to get the extra transmission capacity that is so desperately needed, even for energy storage sites.