Britain needs 620 miles of additional grid lines and for people to undertake more voluntary switch-offs to achieve the government’s 2030 net zero goals, a new report from grid operator NESO has indicated.
"That is more than double over five years what has been built in total in the last ten," said the operator.
NESO added that Labour's target to decarbonise electricity by 2030 was "achievable" but a "huge challenge" with significant improvements to the planning system required.
Energy Minister Ed Miliband said the report was a vindication of the government’s plans to decarbonise the country.
The government is expected to publish its action plan for modernising the grid in the coming months.
People being paid to switch off for periods of peak demand would also need to see a substantial increase, added the report, which estimates that the 2030 plan would require an average of £40 billion in investment a year, most of it from the private sector.