The National Energy System Operator (NESO) has launched a consultation which invites customers and stakeholders across Great Britain to shape the methodology which delivers a set of Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs). The consultation started on 17 November 2025 and will run to 16 January 2026.
This article outlines the details and objectives of the consultation and what steps will follow once the consultation closes.
Throughout the duration of the consultation, the consultation will seek responses from both customers and stakeholders, those being from the nine English regions alongside Scotland and Wales. From the responses provided, NESO will receive feedback on how RESPs should be designed, developed and integrated into an overarching strategic planning framework.
The objective of the consultation will be to work with both the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan and the Centralised Strategic Network Plan to ensure that customers and customer value are placed at the centre of the RESPs, ensuring local priorities are met while maintaining consistency in the network.
The 11 RESPs will see a shift to a joined-up system, away from the present system whereby electricity and gas distribution networks are planned separately in each region. This proposed system will create a single source of information which all distribution networks can use to ensure a consistent approach to network planning across nations and regions, allowing for variation to reflect the differences between regions. By doing so, it aims to accelerate the shift towards net zero, working alongside other GB-wide NESO strategic plans.
Once the consultation has closed, the methodology will need to be approved by Ofgem and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. After the approval has been received, the final methodology will be published in summer 2026. Click here to view the consultation.
For further information, please contact our energy and resource management team.
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