The Connectology® Podcast by Roadnight Taylor

The UK’s grid is at breaking point. Thousands of energy projects are stuck in the queue, and many may never get built. In this episode of the Connectology® podcast, Ed Birkett from Low Carbon joins Kyle Murchie and Catherine Cleary to explain what’s going wrong—and what needs to change. Together, they dive into the challenges facing the UK’s grid connection process, from overloaded queues to “zomb...

Super Grid Transformer (SGT) charging remains a critical but unresolved issue in the energy sector. The focus on Connections Reform meant progress on SGT charging stalled. Now that Connections Reform is taking shape, it’s time to turn attention back to this challenge. To help move the conversation forward, we brought together a range of industry voices —Innova, Octopus Energy Generation, Centrica...

Super Grid Transformer (SGT) has been a hot topic for some time (indeed Roadnight Taylor issued an open letter to Ofgem in 2023) but the issue remains unresolved with progress stalled as the industry focused on delivering Connections Reform. With key aspects of that reform now in place, attention can return to SGT charging — an area that has seen little movement compared to other code modification...

Roadnight Taylor is delighted to welcome Matt Vickers, Director of Connections Reform at NESO, to this episode of the Connectology ® podcast! Matt shares his experience from leading one of the biggest overhauls in the UK energy sector—fixing a broken grid connections system and tackling a huge project queue. With his background as an energy ombudsman, he brings a fresh perspective on the challenge...

In this episode of the Connectology® podcast, Connectologists® Pete Aston, Catherine Cleary, and Nikki Pillinger unpack the latest developments in grid connections, Gate 2 timelines, and ongoing industry reforms. With some DNOs now issuing grid variation offers with just 10–14 days to accept, developers are facing serious time pressure—especially when terms are unclear or revised. The team explore...

In this episode of the Connectology® podcast, Connectologists® Pete Aston, Philip Bale, and Kyle Murchie break down the latest on Connections Reform—especially what it means for developers navigating Gate 2 applications. The podcast discusses: Why Gate 2 matters: If your project won’t connect before July 2025, you must submit a Gate 2 application to avoid slipping back to Gate 1. Transmission vs....

This episode of the Connectology® podcast dives into the evolving Project Commitment Fee (PCF) with special guest Alex Ikonic, Grid Engineer at Ørsted, who brings insights from the CMP448 CUSC work group. The PCF—originally proposed by NESO as a £20,000/MW bond—has been revised to a phased fee starting at £2,500/MW, rising to £10,000/MW, and triggered only if 6 GW of post-Gate 2 generation project...

In this episode of the Connectology® podcast, Connectologists® Kyle Murchie and Pete Aston break down two major updates that could change the game for energy developers. First up: CMP446. Ofgem has approved a big shift—raising the Transmission Impact Assessment (TIA) threshold in England and Wales from 1MW to 5MW (based on export capacity). That means fewer small and mid-sized projects need to go...

In this episode, Connectologists® Philip Bale and Pete Aston dive deep into Engineering Recommendation EREP130, specifically focusing on its application to embedded battery storage connections under technical limits scenarios. They explore whether it's appropriate for DNOs to enforce EREP130 clauses when offering early connections under Technical Limits, and what this means for customers. Key Topi...

Which Connection Tips Will Make the Connectologists'® Top 10?  Getting your project connected to the grid is no easy feat—but what are the most essential tips to maximise success? In our latest podcast, Connectologists® Catherine Cleary, Philip Bale, Nikki Pillinger, Kyle Murchie, and Pete Aston battle it out to decide the ultimate Top 10 Grid Connection Tips. Each Connectologist® has come prepare...

GC0117 refers to a Grid Code change proposal, initially raised back in June 2018, aimed at improving transparency and consistency of access arrangements for generation and storage connections across Great Britain by creating a common set of requirements. Specifically, the proposal seeks to reduce the existing three thresholds of Small, Medium and Large generators to two, defining Large Power Stati...

The energy sector is evolving rapidly, and grid Connection Reforms, customer engagement, and community energy are at the forefront of change. In this episode, we are joined by special guests Amanda Le Brocq, Sarah Jeffery and Mark Baker from National Grid Electricity Distribution to explore: 🔹New Careers, New Insights – How diverse backgrounds are improving customer engagement, community energy,...

Join Connectologist® Pete Aston, Catherine Cleary, Philip Bale, and Nikki Pillinger for an in-depth discussion on the evolving UK grid landscape in our latest podcast. This episode unpacks the latest developments affecting Clean Power 2030 and how they impact grid connections, project viability, and market dynamics. Key topics discussed include: • Clean Power 2030 – Key updates on regulatory chang...

Join Connectologist® Kyle Murchie and special guest Susan McDonald, UK Energy Transition Lead for Net Zero Transformation at Deloitte, as they delve into the future of the UK energy sector. This episode unpacks the ambitious Clean Power Plan for 2030, examines the challenges of rapidly expanding infrastructure, and highlights the UK's leadership in offshore wind energy. Topics Discussed: Infrastru...

We are delighted that Alasdair (Ali) MacMillan, Policy Lead of Electricity Connections at Ofgem joined Connectologists® Catherine Cleary and Kyle Murchie for our latest podcast. This episode delves into the complexities of Connections Reform in Great Britain, specifically focusing on the end-to-end review of the grid connection process. The discussion highlights concerns about the current system,...

Join Connectologists® Pete Aston and Nikki Pillinger as they welcome two special guests: Merlin Hyman, Chief Executive of Regen, and Joe Colebrook, Head of Grid Connections at Innova. Together, they dive into the complexities of Grid Connections Reform and what it means for developers, policymakers, and the entire industry. Key topics discussed include: Connection Process Changes – they discuss th...

During our Connections Reform Update #3 webinar, we had so many questions from over 200 delegates that we didn't have time to answer them all. We have picked out some main themes from the questions and on this podcast, two of our Connectologists® Kyle Murchie and Pete Aston help to shed light on those themes.   Themes covered include:  What are the key methodologies and their implications? How doe...

Should the reforming of the GB grid queue under Connections Reform Connections Network Design Methodology utilise the distribution offer acceptance date for D projects - or the date of the DNO's Mod Offer acceptance? This is a highly complex and nuanced area – and with some 7,000 applicable projects, it is highly contentious too. With NESO’s consultation on the CNDM closing on 2 December 2024, Con...

In our latest podcast, the Connectologists® explore the future of electricity networks and the big changes shaping them. Our experts, Philip Bale, Kyle Murchie, and Pete Aston, unpack how distribution and transmission networks interact, starting with the basics of how demand forecasting has worked in the past and how it’s evolving. The podcast investigates how DNOs have traditionally used the "Wee...

In this episode, Connectologists® Pete Aston and Philip Bale sit down with Dan Nicholls, Chief Production and Commercial Officer at SNRG, to unpack how microgrids are transforming our energy systems and paving the way to decarbonised communities. Key Topics Covered: The Shift to Microgrids: Microgrids are becoming essential in rethinking energy use across residential, industrial, and commercial se...

At the minute, it’s easy to get swept up in the whirlwind of Connections Reform. But with the grid connections industry undergoing significant changes in recent years, it’s important to reflect and consider the alterations which have been made. In this episode of our Connectology® podcast, we are joined by Catherine Cleary, Pete Aston and Nikki Pillinger who discuss what these shifts mean for the...

In this podcast, “Repurposing Transmission Connections”, our Connectologists® Kyle Murchie, Philip Bale, and Catherine Cleary, discuss the rapid changes happening in the transmission industry. The conversation focuses on providing an update for those with ongoing or upcoming projects, especially in light of the new TMO4+ process. Over the years, transmission connections have shifted from large gen...

Join the Connectologists® Kyle Murchie , Pete Aston , and Nikki Pillinger as they dive into the rapidly changing landscape of energy decarbonisation in Great Britain.   As we transition from summer to autumn and the nights draw in, the urgency around decarbonisation has never been more pressing. With a bottleneck in electrical connections, an unprecedented level of planned infrastructure, and geop...

Our Grid News and Views series is back for another episode! We are joined again by four of our brilliant team of Connectologists ® at Roadnight Taylor,  Catherine Cleary ,  Kyle Murchie ,  Nikki Pillinger  and  Philip Bale . In this episode, Connections Reform is at the forefront of the conversation, where Kyle’s experience sitting on working groups will hopefully provide some key insight. Kyle fi...

In this episode of the Connectology podcast, Pete Aston is joined by Oli Spink, Head of System Planning at National Grid Electricity Distribution. The two discuss Network Development Plans in detail, with key insights from Oli’s experience in the Distribution System Operator team.  After recognizing the importance of data processes, Pete and Oli discuss how Network Development plans have evolved i...