Colin MacKenzie

Colin is presently Principal Smart Grid Consultant at Smarter Grid Solution bringing over 30 years’ experience from previous consulting, management and business development roles in the electricity energy sector, including electricity distribution, transmission, generation, oil & gas, industrial, nuclear & defence. With a MSc. in Electrical Power Engineering Colin is passionate about the use of new technologies to drive all aspects of the transition to low carbon energy systems to limit the progression of climate change. A former founding director of the Friends of the Super-grid organisation which promoted the need for a European super-grid to move low carbon energy throughout Europe. Colin brings technical, regulatory and economic skills and experience in electricity networks along with stakeholder engagement and management experience from his consultant and business development management roles at several large global consulting, certification, manufacturing, enterprise software and utility companies.

Assessing Transmission Access Restrictions and Curtailment Impacts

 

Almost all new connections, whether at distribution or transmission voltages, are experiencing transmission related restrictions. This is well-reported and leading to lengthy energisation dates which are jeopardising development, investment and net zero targets. The industry is turning to restricted access solutions to accelerate energisation ahead of reinforcement. There is well-publicised grid connections reform ongoing which will establish new principles for queue management. In addition to queue management, grid connections energisation dates are increasingly sped-up through restricted access connections. Smarter Grid Solutions (SGS) has been assisting developers in quantifying the impact of restricted access connections through advanced network modelling and study of the evolving transmission system. With the National Energy System Operator (NESO) issuing new tranches of restricted access connection offers to developers in Scotland (Tranche 1) in Q1 2025, with England and Wales to follow, this blog takes a closer look at these restricted access connections, exploring: 

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