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What the tRESP is and why it matters
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The four key components of the plan
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Opportunities for the sector
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Potential challenges and watch-points
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Why your engagement is essential before the consultation closes on 3 November 2025.
What is the tRESP?
At its heart, the tRESP is a national energy planning exercise with regional granularity. Led by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) under Ofgem’s direction, the plan provides the first coordinated framework to guide how the electricity distribution networks (and wider energy system) respond to the rapid growth of low-carbon technologies — from heat pumps and EVs to renewables and storage.
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Shape the availability of grid capacity for housing, commercial development, and infrastructure projects.
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Influence how regions balance growth and decarbonisation.
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Provide new data, maps, and tools that can support local plan-making and infrastructure delivery.
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Nations and Regions Contexts – baseline conditions and priorities for each of the 11 RESP areas.
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Pathways – short and long-term projections for low-carbon technologies out to 2050.
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Consistent Planning Assumptions (CPAs) – agreed national assumptions for DNOs to use in forecasting.
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Strategic Investment Need (SI Need) – identifying where targeted network investment could unlock growth and accelerate decarbonisation.
1. Nations and Regions Contexts – A New Evidence Base
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It creates a consistent evidence base for energy planning, available at regional scale.
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It highlights differences across places — recognising that the South West, Scotland, or the North East face distinct challenges.
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It links energy infrastructure to broader socio-economic and planning considerations.
2. Pathways – Mapping the Road to 2030 and 2050
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A single short-term pathway to 2035 aligns with Ofgem’s requirements and reflects the Holistic Transition Future Energy Scenario (FES) – high renewables, high consumer engagement
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From 2035, three long-term pathways to 2050 explore different futures: Holistic Transition, Electric Engagement, and Hydrogen Evolution.
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Where and when demand for electricity will grow (e.g. from heat pump uptake or EV charging).
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How much renewable generation and storage is expected to come online in different regions.
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The scale of infrastructure investment needed to deliver grid decarbonisation.
3. Consistent Planning Assumptions (CPAs) – Getting the Numbers Right
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Electric vehicles (EVs)
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Residential heat pumps
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Appliance and lighting demand changes
4. Strategic Investment Need – Where Big Decisions Will Be Made
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Anticipatory investment for major housing or employment growth areas.
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Upgrades to enable industrial decarbonisation.
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Reinforcement for cross-boundary or whole-system benefits.
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Current outputs are interim and don’t yet include hydrogen infrastructure or motorway service areas
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Inclusion of a need does not guarantee investment — it simply flags areas where coordination may be warranted.
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Active engagement is crucial to ensure local growth priorities are visible and not overlooked in favour of more ‘obvious’ system-wide drivers.
5. Opportunities for the Sector
- Evidence for Local Plans – The Nations and Regions Contexts provide a new dataset to support local plan-making, infrastructure delivery plans, and climate action strategies.
- Alignment of Energy and Spatial Planning – For the first time, regional energy scenarios are being tied explicitly to development and socio-economic trends.
- Influence Over Strategic Investment – By engaging with the consultation, stakeholders can shape which growth areas are recognised as nationally significant.
- Anticipatory Planning – Early visibility of pathways allows developers and operators to start considering how EV charging, heat pumps, and renewables will reshape demand for land, infrastructure, and buildings.
Key Watch-Points and Risks
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Local Data Gaps – Without strong local input, the risk is that national datasets underplay or misrepresent local realities.
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Timing – The consultation closes on 3 November 2025, but final outputs aren’t due until January 2026. That leaves limited time for integration into live plan-making processes.
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Uncertainty Beyond 2035 – With three diverging pathways, long-term clarity is limited. These should be seen as scenarios, not forecasts.
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Delivery Risk – Identifying need is not the same as securing investment. Ofgem’s price control decisions will ultimately determine what is funded.
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Integration with Other Reforms – The tRESP sits alongside the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, planning reform, and wider infrastructure initiatives. The risk is policy overlap or misalignment.
Why Engagement is Essential
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Do the Nations and Regions Contexts provide a clear and useful reflection of your area’s conditions?
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Do the Pathways align with your local understanding of future demand and generation?
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Are the Consistent Planning Assumptions (CPAs) appropriate for your region and sector?
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Where should Strategic Investment be prioritised to unlock growth or accelerate decarbonisation?
Final Thoughts
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Unlocks, rather than constrains, growth
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Reflects the realities of place
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Delivers on net zero and resilience in a way that supports communities