In December 2024, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) submitted reform proposals to Ofgem aimed at transforming the electricity connections process to prioritise projects ready to deliver clean power for Great Britain by 2030 (Connections Reform). Connections Reform has now been approved by Ofgem and introduced into industry standard licence conditions and the Connection and Use of System Code (CUSC).
Any existing embedded contracted customers who required a Transmission Impact Assessment and are not energised by the NESO window closure will be affected by Connections Reform and specifically by the Code Modification CMP435.
Further information on Connections Reform can be found here Connections Reform | National Energy System Operator
Following preparations made by the ENA Strategic Connections Group, electricity distribution network operators will start collecting evidence download for small and medium embedded connections.
From the 20th of May customers with small and medium embedded projects affected by CMP435 will be able to submit their Readiness Declaration and supporting evidence until the NESO evidence window closes (NESO to confirm in due course).
If you are unsure if your project is affected, please contact us at the relevant mailbox for SP Manweb plc (SPM) customers and SP Distribution plc (SPD) customers:
SPM mailbox: connectionsreform-distribution@spenergynetworks.co.uk
SPD mailbox: SPDSOW@scottishpower.com
It is important to note that it is the customer’s responsibility to ensure that the Readiness Declaration and all supporting evidence is submitted accurately and timely within the submission timeframes noted above. Once the DNO submission timeframe ends, we will be working to a very tight timetable to submit the evidence to NESO. Therefore, we urge you to submit your evidence as soon as possible to allow us to review. Failure to submit accurate and complete evidence within the required timescales could mean that your project will not pass the Gate 2 Readiness Criteria and/or the Gate 2 Strategic Alignment Criteria (linked above), and therefore not obtain transmission access.
Readiness Declaration
The Readiness Declaration is available here Readiness Declaration V9 TO BE PUBLISHED APRIL 30 CLEAN.xlsx for you to download and complete along with industry guidance to support the completion. https://www.neso.energy/industry-information/connections-reform/evidence-handbook .
The Readiness Declaration details the evidence that needs to be submitted and in what format. Please ensure that the Readiness Declaration and supporting evidence are submitted at the same time.
Submission timeframes
Small / medium embedded customers are required to submit their Readiness Declaration and supporting evidence to us. The DNOs will start accepting your submission from Tuesday 20th May 2025 until the NESO window closes. We have included more detail on how to make this submission below.
For clarity, large embedded customers will follow a separate process and are required to submit their Readiness Declaration and supporting evidence directly to NESO when the NESO submission window opens (NESO to confirm in due course).
Making your submission
For small / medium embedded projects please submit your Readiness Declaration and supporting evidence to the SPM or SPD mailboxes below. Please note, the mailboxes will only support attachments up to 20MB. If your documents exceed this then please contact us via the mailboxes below, and we will provide access and details of how to submit via Onedrive.
SPM mailbox: connectionsreform-distribution@spenergynetworks.co.uk
SPD mailbox: SPDSOW@scottishpower.com
Connections Reform Engagement
There will be a joint NESO and Energy Networks Association (ENA) webinar in May 2025 which will focus in more detail on the Readiness Declaration and evidence submission. You can register for an invite to this https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=U2qK-fMlEkKQHMd4f800lZpUPwo_dFdIjeaiTOyY3txUNENYOFZWWlpHQ1hPRjFZQUFJVENQRTdLUS4u
SPEN will also be hosting a further webinar on the 29th May to follow up with any specific questions regarding your submission. Event Details | DNO Evidence Submission Webinar
If you have any questions, then please do not hesitate to contact us :-
SPM customers: connectionsreform-distribution@spenergynetworks.co.uk
SPD customers: SPDSOW@scottishpower.com