National Grid Seeks Ofgem Nod for £4.5bn Grid Spend

National Grid has submitted a further package of electricity transmission proposals to Ofgem, seeking approval for around £4.5 billion of investment across 19 projects in England and Wales, the company said on 15 October 2026.

The submission is a request under the RIIO-T3 load re-opener process. It is not an approved spending programme. Ofgem will assess the projects before deciding whether each should go ahead.

How the £4.5 billion breaks down

According to National Grid, the around £4.5 billion comprises:

£2.3 billion across six projects already submitted through a May re-opener and still progressing through Ofgem’s assessment; and
£2.2 billion of further investment proposed in the October submission.

Subject to approval, the company said the package forms part of plans to invest around £31 billion in the electricity transmission network in England and Wales between 2026 and 2031.

A footnote to the release states that figures for re-openers are in 2023/24 prices, in line with Ofgem’s guidance for RIIO-T3 price-control submissions. Comparing them with today’s cash prices without adjustment would overstate or understate the real amount depending on inflation.

What a “re-opener” is

Under the RIIO-T3 framework, re-openers let transmission owners seek regulatory approval and funding for investments that were not developed enough for Ofgem to assess when the price control was first agreed. National Grid said Ofgem will now assess the submissions before deciding whether each should be approved.

In other words, the company is asking the regulator to open the door to funding that was not locked in at the start of the control period. Approval is not automatic, and projects can be accepted, rejected or modified.

What National Grid says the money is for

The investments would help increase network capacity, maintain system resilience, and ensure the electricity network is ready to accommodate increasing levels of clean power generation and demand, including from new industries and technologies, the company said.

National Grid did not name specific industries in the release. This post does not add examples the company did not give.

The projects, National Grid said, were developed through detailed planning and engineering assessment to identify appropriate solutions, with the aim of delivering value for money and keeping long-term costs down for consumers.

What the company said

Rob Salter-Church, regulation director at National Grid Electricity Transmission, said: “As Britain’s electricity needs evolve, it’s vital that the network develops ahead of that demand. Our proposals set out investment needed to increase capacity, maintain resilience and support future growth across England and Wales. Together with the submissions we made earlier this year, they form an important part of our plan to invest around £31 billion in the transmission network by 2031.”

He added that the company will continue to work closely with Ofgem through the assessment process “to help ensure the right investments are approved and delivered efficiently, providing long term benefits for consumers, communities and the wider economy.”

Process still running on the May tranche

Alongside the new October proposals, National Grid said it continues to engage with Ofgem on the May re-opener applications through Ofgem’s draft determinations consultation for that earlier window. The £2.3 billion May slice is therefore already in the regulatory pipeline; the October filing adds the further £2.2 billion and brings the combined re-opener ask described in this announcement to about £4.5 billion.

Why it matters

Transmission is the high-voltage backbone that moves power from where it is generated to the regional networks that serve homes and businesses. When generation and demand grow faster than that backbone, connection queues lengthen and constraints rise. National Grid’s case is that the network must be built ahead of demand if Britain is to connect more clean generation and new sources of electricity use.

For bill payers, re-opener approvals matter because allowed investment feeds into the regulated asset base and, over time, into network charges. For developers waiting on connections, the stakes are whether capacity arrives in the right places. None of that is decided by a submission alone — Ofgem’s assessments are the gate.

What’s still unknown

Which of the 19 projects Ofgem will approve, modify or reject, and on what timetable.
How the October £2.2 billion is split project by project in Ofgem’s published materials.
The eventual impact on consumer bills once any approvals are reflected in charges.
Detailed maps and local planning status for each scheme (beyond the company’s high-level description).

What to watch

Watch Ofgem’s determinations on both the May and October re-opener windows, and National Grid’s RIIO-T3 re-opener pages for project-level detail as assessments progress.

What this means

Ask, not approval. About £4.5 billion across 19 projects is proposed investment awaiting Ofgem’s decision.
Part of a larger plan. Subject to approval, it sits inside a stated around £31 billion transmission plan for 2026–2031 in England and Wales.
Prices are 2023/24. Re-opener figures follow Ofgem’s price-base guidance.