Grid
Ofgem gives NESO until 31 October for the last Gate 2 Phase 1 grid offers
On 2 October 2026 Ofgem agreed to a second extension for NESO, the National Energy System Operator, on issuing Gate 2 Phase 1 connection offers. The deadline moves from 30 September 2026 to 31 October 2026. NESO had asked on 25 September. Ofgem says the request affects a small subset of projects, approximately 62 offers.
The reason is a delay further up the chain. Ofgem says National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) was late providing the Transmission Owner Construction Offers that NESO needs before it can finish the affected offers. NESO's own letter puts up to 37 of these at about 10% of all Phase 1 offers, mostly complex transmission-connected and embedded projects. Another c.25 offers need more time for other reasons, mainly at the customer's request. NESO's letter also says it has issued 133 of 158 Phase 1 offers for distribution network operators (DNOs) in England and Wales.
Ofgem says all other parts of the timeline stay as in its 3 June 2026 decision. That timetable has Phase 2 offers due from NESO by 31 January 2027, with Phase 1 distribution offers completed by 30 November 2026 and Phase 2 distribution offers by 31 March 2027. Ofgem says NESO has confirmed the new date will not affect the later Phase 2 offers. We have not found a mid-October start for Phase 2 distribution offers in either document, so we are not repeating that.
What does this mean for a home? Almost nothing directly. Gate 2 is the reform of the queue of large generation and storage projects waiting for a grid connection. A normal rooftop solar or home battery system is a small embedded system that your installer notifies to the local DNO, which for Faversham is UK Power Networks. It does not sit in this queue, and neither document mentions household systems.
The one case that is different is a larger site. If a business or farm plans a system big enough to need a G99 application (the DNO approval route for generation above the small-scale G98 limit), the DNO's capacity position matters more. Queue reform is meant to clear projects that are not going ahead, which could free capacity over time. Neither document promises that for any area, and it is not a reason to delay a normal home install.
Our view: nothing here changes what to do this winter. Size the system to your own use and let your installer handle the network paperwork, as set out in our planning and network approval guide. Our costs page shows what to expect. If you are weighing a bigger commercial system, ask for the grid position in writing before you commit.
Read the original: Ofgem: agreement to a further alternative timetable for issuing Gate 2 Phase 1 connection offers. Figures come from that page. Where we do our own sums we say so. Commentary is our own view, not advice.
Want numbers for your own home? Try the estimator or ask for a free quote.
More news
- Future Homes Standard: solar on new-build homes explained
- NESO says winter power is adequate: what it means for a home battery
- Great British Grid announced: what it means for home solar
- Solar planning rules changed on 27 August: what Kent homeowners should know
- £28m storage challenge aims at 100 hours: does it change home battery plans?