Lifting the lid on Wales’ electricity grid.

Grid development has always been a sensitive topic in Wales, often owing to the farming and tourist-led economies in which many proposed projects are located.  

The IAG’s report on Wales’ future electricity grid is likely to raise some important questions about the planning and consenting of grid infrastructure across the country.  

Among its recommendations to government, the report places particular focus on delivering transparency in the sector.

Transparency in strategic decision making, community involvement, cost analysis and the use of alternative (underground) technologies were all earmarked as key priorities.

But this isn’t a report designed to hinder grid development. Far from it. The IAG is clear that improving the electricity grid is unavoidable – and central to delivering Wales’s energy transition. This was a view shared across the group of independent engineers, community stakeholders, environmental specialists and regulatory experts who contributed to the research findings. 

By setting clear expectations, the report could open the door for a more collaborative approach between developers and government, one where both work collectively within a clear framework to deliver major transmission and distribution projects.

From this angle, the calls for a more structured consenting framework could potentially work alongside the new Infrastructure Planning (Wales) Act to deliver a swifter decision-making process for grid infrastructure.

The report also reminds the energy sector about the importance of excellent, engaging communication in bringing communities on the journey. The first recommendation in the report is a call for government to provide clear, easily accessible information for communities to help them understand the need case and societal importance of developing the grid.

This could go a long way to addressing the longstanding misconception that transmission and distribution infrastructure is not needed - a task that until now has primarily fallen on the shoulders of developers.

So yes — the IAG’s findings may initially ask some uncomfortable questions. But if government can work alongside industry, then this drive for greater transparency could create space for a more intelligent, strategic conversation about our energy system in Wales.