Ofgem rejects NESO request for competitive tender of WCN2 transmission project
Ofgem has rejected the National Energy System Operator (NESO)’s request to competitively tender a sub-component of project WCN2, concluding that it does not qualify for onshore competition under section 6(3) of the Electricity (Early-Model Competitive Tenders for Onshore Transmission Licences) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/446. The project did not meet all qualifying criteria, specifically the network needs case requirement. Ofgem was unable to confirm the needs case for WCN2 due to uncertainty over the impact of connections reform, the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan and the Clean Power Plan 2030 on future network requirements. It was also unable to do so ahead of the transitional Centralised Strategic Network Plan 2 Refresh (tCSNP2 Refresh), expected from NESO in 2026, citing the risk that WCN2 may not be required or that an alternative option could better meet network needs.