Almost £5 billion in investment will be needed to upgrade the UK’s electricity grid network by 2020, a government report has shown. Among the extensions needed to the grid will be high-voltage subsea cable links between Scotland and England, according to the report by the Electricity Networks Strategy Group. It concluded that up to 1,000km of new cables would be needed to make sure new renewables and power stations could be connected to the grid. In Scotland, the report said up to 11.4GW of renewable generation could be expected. In order to transmit this electricity, possible measures would be the controversial upgrade of the power line between Beauly and Denny, as well as subsea links to Scottish islands. A cable beneath the sea between the Kintyre peninsula and Hunterston was also proposed in the report. In order to meet emissions targets, it is expected the UK will need to generate about 30 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

However, there is a lack of capacity in the existing grid network to be able to connect about 35GW of renewable power needed to meet the targets. Many areas suitable for renewables, such as offshore sites in the Pentland Firth off Caithness, are isolated, without current access to the grid. Mike O’Brien, the energy minister, said: “Having a grid which is fit for purpose is vital for our ambitions to cut carbon emissions and increase security of supply.” The report is the latest piece of work to come from the Transmission Access Review, which will ultimately reform the electricity grid structure for 2020. Alistair Buchanan, the chief executive of the gas and electricity watchdog Ofgem, said: “Getting the right electricity infrastructure in place so more renewable generators can connect is critical if the UK is to meet challenging new renewable targets.” He added: “The industry report proposes the use of technology so far unused in this country.

“This demonstrates a willingness to consider innovative solutions which could lead to faster build times and avoid the need to secure planning permission for onshore lines.”

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