Great Britain · Electricity · Connections

Know your connection
before you apply.

A pre-application assessment for demand connections at any GB Grid Supply Point — built on NESO open data, TMO4+ reform criteria and the CP30 Action Plan.

250+

Grid Supply Points

14

DNO Licence Areas

3

Transmission Owners

Why use this service

Four things every developer needs before committing to a connection application.

⚡

GSP Map Intelligence

All 250+ GB Grid Supply Points on an interactive map with live headroom and capacity overlays.

✓

TMO4+ Eligibility

An instant Gate 2 readiness check against the current Connections Reform criteria.

🛰

Site Intelligence

Proximity analysis and satellite links for every Grid Supply Point and site location.

📄

Word & PDF Report

A professional pre-application report you can download as .docx or print to PDF instantly.

The Process

Your assessment in 3 easy steps

From postcode to a downloadable pre-application report in under ten minutes.

01

Tell Us About Your Site

Enter your organisation, site postcode, requested capacity in MW and target energisation date. Connection type is optional — skip it and we assess generally.

02

Answer the Key Questions

Firm or non-firm? Rigid or phased demand? Flexibility appetite? These four questions shape the scope of your assessment and often shift your connection date by years.

03

Get Your Assessment Report

Pick your Grid Supply Point from the map and generate a full pre-application report with headroom analysis, indicative timelines and next steps.

Before you apply

The connection journey, end to end

Knowing what comes next — and what the network operator will ask — makes that first conversation far shorter. This tool sits at the very front of the process.

You are here

Stage 01

Pre-application

Understand the capacity picture at your location, what a firm connection costs you in time, and which questions the operator will ask. No fee, no commitment, no queue position.

Minutes · Self-service

Stage 02

Budget estimate / enquiry

An informal request to your DNO or NESO for an indicative cost and connection date. Non-binding, but the first time your project is seen by the operator.

Typically 10–30 working days

Stage 03

Formal application

A full application with site, capacity, technology and programme detail. This is what establishes your position in the connections queue.

Fee payable · Queue position set

Stage 04

Gate 1 / Gate 2 assessment

Under Connections Reform, projects are gated on land rights and readiness. Gate 2 carries a firm date; Gate 1 holds an indicative one until evidence is supplied.

Gate windows · TMO4+

Stage 05

Connection offer

A formal offer setting out cost, date, and any reinforcement or curtailment terms. Time-limited — you must accept within the offer window.

Offer validity typically 90 days

Stage 06

Build and energisation

Design, consents, reinforcement works and commissioning, through to first power at your agreed capacity — staged if you took a ramped connection.

Years, depending on reinforcement

Where the numbers come from

Two public registers, pulled live, and joined to your site location by postcode.

Transmission

TEC Register

The Transmission Entry Capacity register lists every project holding a contract for entry capacity on the national transmission system — connected, contracted and queued.

Published by NESO
Updated twice weekly (Tue & Fri)
Read via the NESO CKAN API

Distribution

Embedded Capacity Registers

Every DNO publishes an ECR of generation, storage and flexible demand at 50kW and above, connected or accepted to connect, in a format standardised through DCUSA and the ENA.

Published by all six DNO groups
Updated monthly
Read via the national combined ECR

Location

Site & mapping

Your postcode is geocoded, matched to the nearest point of connection, and plotted on a GB-wide open map with satellite imagery and Google Earth links for site inspection.

Geocoding by postcodes.io
Basemap OpenStreetMap
Imagery Esri · deep links to Google Earth

What this tool is, and is not

These registers record what is connected and contracted. They do not publish available headroom, and neither does this tool. Everything here is a broad, high-level view of capacity pressure at a location, meant to inform your conversation with the network operator — not to replace it. It is not a connection offer, does not reserve capacity, and confers no queue position.

GB grid connections process by

Your connection is delivered by one of these bodies — the system operator, the regulator, three transmission owners and six distribution groups covering 14 licence areas.

System Operator & Regulator

NESONational Energy System Operator OfgemIndependent Energy Regulator

Transmission Owners

National Grid Electricity TransmissionTO · England & Wales SP TransmissionTO · Southern Scotland SSEN TransmissionTO · Northern Scotland

Distribution Network Operators · 6 groups · 14 licence areas

UK Power Networks3 areas · LPN · SPN · EPN National Grid Electricity Distribution4 areas · Mids · SW · S Wales SP Energy Networks2 areas · SPD · SP Manweb SSEN Distribution2 areas · SHEPD · SEPD Northern Powergrid2 areas · Northeast · Yorkshire Electricity North West1 area · North West England UK Power Networks3 areas · LPN · SPN · EPN National Grid Electricity Distribution4 areas · Mids · SW · S Wales SP Energy Networks2 areas · SPD · SP Manweb SSEN Distribution2 areas · SHEPD · SEPD Northern Powergrid2 areas · Northeast · Yorkshire Electricity North West1 area · North West England UK Power Networks3 areas · LPN · SPN · EPN National Grid Electricity Distribution4 areas · Mids · SW · S Wales SP Energy Networks2 areas · SPD · SP Manweb SSEN Distribution2 areas · SHEPD · SEPD Northern Powergrid2 areas · Northeast · Yorkshire Electricity North West1 area · North West England UK Power Networks3 areas · LPN · SPN · EPN National Grid Electricity Distribution4 areas · Mids · SW · S Wales SP Energy Networks2 areas · SPD · SP Manweb SSEN Distribution2 areas · SHEPD · SEPD Northern Powergrid2 areas · Northeast · Yorkshire Electricity North West1 area · North West England

Transmission

GB Transmission Owners

Three onshore transmission owners run the high-voltage backbone: National Grid across England and Wales, SP Energy Networks in southern Scotland and SSEN Transmission in the north. NESO is system operator for England, Scotland and Wales.

Distribution

Distribution Network Operators

Six DNO groups own and operate the wires across 14 licence areas in Great Britain. Your DNO is fixed by your site postcode, not by your electricity supplier — and it is the body you apply to for a distribution connection.

Network maps and operator names shown for reference only. This is an independent pre-application assessment tool and is not endorsed by, affiliated with, or issued on behalf of any network operator, NESO, Ofgem, the ENA or DESNZ.

Energy Networks Association

Who is my electricity network operator?

Not sure which DNO covers your site? The ENA's official lookup finds your network operator from your postcode — the same body you will apply to, and the one you call on 105 in a power cut.

Find My Network Operator →

Powered by public data from

NESO Data PortalNESO Connections 360Ofgem Connections ReformENA Open NetworksCP30 Action PlanGIS GSP BoundariesTMO4+ Gate 2 CriteriaDNO Long Term Development StatementsNESO Electricity Ten Year StatementConnections Accelerator ServiceDESNZ Clean Power 2030Embedded Capacity RegistersNESO Data PortalNESO Connections 360Ofgem Connections ReformENA Open NetworksCP30 Action PlanGIS GSP BoundariesTMO4+ Gate 2 CriteriaDNO Long Term Development StatementsNESO Electricity Ten Year StatementConnections Accelerator ServiceDESNZ Clean Power 2030Embedded Capacity Registers

Tell Us About Your Project

All fields marked * are required. This information shapes your pre-application assessment report.

Capacity registers

Is your project importing or exporting?

⬇

Demand

You will draw power from the network

⬆

Generation / Storage

You will export power to the network

Technology Optional

Organisation Details

Organisation Name *

Contact Name *

Email Address *

Phone Number

Site & Capacity Details

Site Address *

Postcode *

We look your postcode up with postcodes.io and find the nearest point of connection.

Import Capacity (MW) *

Target Energisation Date

Connection Point if known

Network Level if known

Project Description *

Key Questions Before You Apply

Every developer seeking a grid connection must consider these strategic questions. Your answers shape the scope and content of your assessment report.

1

Do you need a firm connection?

This is one of the most consequential decisions in your connection journey. A firm connection gives you a guaranteed, continuous supply of power up to your contracted capacity — at all times, regardless of conditions on the network.

⚡ Firm Connection

A firm connection means the DNO or NESO guarantees to supply (or accept) your contracted capacity at any point in time. The network is designed and reinforced specifically to accommodate your load. You have a legal right to draw your full contracted capacity 24/7.

Benefits: Security of supply · Operational certainty · Suitable for critical loads (hospitals, data centres, manufacturing) · Bankable for project finance · No risk of curtailment

Risks / Costs: Typically requires more reinforcement, hence longer wait times and higher connection costs. Queue position is more competitive. You pay for reinforcement even if your load is intermittent.

🔶 Non-Firm Connection

A non-firm (interruptible) connection means you can draw power most of the time, but the DNO/NESO retains the right to curtail or interrupt your supply during periods of system stress, constraint, or emergency. You will have a lower capacity "firm" element and an "interruptible" element subject to curtailment.

Benefits: Significantly faster connection date — often 2 to 5 years earlier than a firm equivalent · Lower upfront connection costs · Smaller reinforcement obligation · Useful where load can tolerate interruption (e.g. flexible manufacturing, some EV charging depots, certain battery charging activities)

Risks: No guarantee of full supply · Must have curtailment management capability · May not be bankable for all lenders · Not suitable for continuous critical loads

Factor	Firm	Non-Firm
Guaranteed supply	Yes – always	No – may be curtailed
Connection date	Longer wait	Up to 5 yrs earlier
Cost	Higher	Lower
Suitable for data centres	Yes	Usually not
Suitable for EV fleet charging	Yes	Often yes
Project finance bankability	Generally yes	Case by case

2

Is your power requirement rigid, or can it be phased?

Many developers assume they need their full capacity from day one. In practice, most large demand projects ramp up gradually — and taking a ramped or phased connection approach can dramatically improve your connection date.

📈 Ramped / Phased Connection — What Is It?

A ramped connection (also called a phased or stepped connection) is where you connect at a lower initial capacity and increase to your full contracted capacity in agreed stages over time. For example, connecting at 15MW initially, stepping to 30MW in 2028, and reaching full 50MW in 2030.

The DNO designs the connection so each phase can be delivered in alignment with existing network capacity and planned reinforcement works. You only pay for and draw each tranche as it becomes available.

🏆 Why a Ramped Connection Could Save You Years

Network headroom is not uniform over time. A substation that cannot accommodate 50MW today may have 15MW of spare capacity right now — from a departed customer, a demand reduction, or a planned flexibility action. A ramped connection lets you:

Connect to the available 15MW now — potentially 2–4 years earlier than a full 50MW firm date
Begin operations, generate revenue, and commence construction
Receive the remaining tranches as the DNO completes reinforcement works
Avoid the full cost and time of a single large reinforcement project

For data centres: Phase 1 shell and core at 15MW, scale rack density to 30MW by Phase 2, full campus at 50MW by Phase 3 — fully aligned with real-world buildout schedules.

For EV hubs: Open the depot at 8MW rapid chargers, add ultra-rapid bays as the tranche increases. Cash flow matches connection.

Factor	Full Capacity from Day 1	Ramped / Phased
Time to first connection	Longer – full reinforcement needed	Much faster – existing headroom used first
Initial connection cost	Higher – all works upfront	Lower – phased investment
Operational start	Delayed	Earlier – start earning sooner
Complexity	Simpler agreement	More complex offer terms
Suitable if load grows over time	Wastes early contracted capacity	Perfectly aligned

3

What is expected of you in the Gate process?

Under the TMO4+ Connections Reform (live since 10 June 2025), the connections process operates through a gated system. Understanding what is expected at each gate is essential before you apply.

🔑 Gate 1 — Indicative Offer

What you get: An indicative connection date and location only. No firm date, no reinforcement works confirmed, no securities required at this stage.

What you must provide: A valid application with competency information, project type, location, and requested capacity. For embedded demand projects, you apply directly to your DNO (e.g. SSE Distribution). For transmission-direct connections, you apply to NESO.

What happens next: Your project is placed in the indicative queue. You can advance to Gate 2 when ready. Gate 1 does not entitle you to a confirmed connection date or the start of network studies.

✅ Gate 2 — Firm Offer (the critical gate)

To receive a firm Gate 2 connection offer, you must demonstrate two things:

1. Readiness Criteria — You must prove you are genuinely ready to build. You can satisfy this via:

Land Route: Evidence of secure land rights — ownership, lease, or legally binding option agreement — over the land required for the connection and your development site
Planning Route: A validated planning application submitted on or before the relevant cut-off date, progressing through the Development Consent Order or Local Planning Authority process

2. Strategic Alignment Criteria — Your project type must fall within the permitted zonal capacity allocations set by the CP30 Action Plan. Technology and regional capacity caps apply. For demand projects, you must demonstrate your demand is real, located where it is needed, and consistent with strategic plans.

📋 Queue Management Milestones — Once You Accept a Gate 2 Offer

After accepting your Gate 2 offer, you must meet a structured set of 7 Queue Management Milestones on a legally binding schedule. These include:

M1: Evidence of land rights (if not already provided)
M2: Planning application submitted
M3: Planning consent obtained
M4: NESO/DNO consent to connect (TEA clearance where applicable)
M5: Financial commitment — confirmed investment decision and funding evidence
M6: Start of construction (first breaking of ground)
M7: Energisation — connection to the live network

Failure to meet milestones on time can result in termination of your connection agreement. A 60-day rectification period applies before termination. The Progression Commitment Fee (under proposal CMP448) will add financial consequences to abandonment.

⚠️ Key Dates to Know

20 December 2024: Planning application cut-off for Protection Clause 2a/3. Projects that had a validated planning application on or before this date receive favourable treatment.
10 June 2025: TMO4+ went live. First Come First Served ended.
Gate 2 windows: Open annually (or bi-annually) under CMP434 enduring regime — expected first window late 2026.
Evidence submission: You submit readiness evidence to your DNO first; they submit to NESO at the next available window.

4

Will your connection require a Transmission Impact Assessment?

Large embedded demand or generation projects that connect to the distribution network can still impact the transmission system. NESO carries out a Transmission Impact Assessment (TIA) — or Transmission Entry Assessment (TEA) for demand — for projects above certain size thresholds.

TIA / TEA Thresholds

England & Wales: 5MW and above (raised from 1MW via CMP446, effective 12 May 2025)
Scotland (North & South): 200kW and above
Scottish Islands: 50kW and above
Special GSPs with fault level constraints: May trigger TIA at 1MW regardless of geography

If your project exceeds the threshold, your DNO (e.g. SSE Distribution) must obtain transmission consent from NESO before your distribution connection offer becomes firm. This means TMO4+ Gate 2 criteria apply to your project even though you connect at distribution voltage.

If you are below the threshold, you are out of scope of TMO4+ and follow a standard DNO-only process without gated windows — typically faster and simpler.

Select Your Grid Supply Point

Search the map or list to find the GSP closest to your site. Click a marker or card to select.

Connection pressure

Low

Moderate

High

Severe

Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors · Satellite imagery © Esri. Pressure is derived from committed capacity in the TEC and Embedded Capacity registers. It indicates queue congestion, not available headroom, and is not a capacity offer.

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