Written evidence submitted by the Energy Networks Association (SEV0069)

I am writing in response to the Transport Committee’s inquiry into ‘supercharging the EV transition.

We are the industry body representing the electricity networks in the UK. Our members directly employ 26,000 people in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, including around 1,500 apprentices and trainees. Our members are spending and investing £33bn with more than £22bn going into our electricity distribution networks between 2023 and 2028, and nearly £11bn in our electricity transmission networks between 2021 and 2026.

Electricity networks will play a central role in enabling the pace and scale of the UK’s EV transition, ensuring there is sufficient capacity across the system to meet rising demand. We take a technology‑agnostic view when it comes to what connects to the network, with our focus firmly on ensuring the network has the capability and resilience needed for the Government to deliver on its ambitions.

Electricity network operators support reforms that streamline the deployment of EV charging infrastructure, provided they maintain safety, enable effective coordination with electricity networks, and support efficient, long‑term planning and investment. Although our members are not responsible for installing charge points, they provide the essential connections that make them possible, moving electricity from generation to homes, businesses and public charging locations.

Networks support reforms that streamline the deployment of EV charging infrastructure, provided they maintain safety, enable effective coordination with electricity networks, and support efficient, long‑term planning and investment. Although our members are not responsible for installing charge points, they provide the essential connections that make them possible, moving electricity from point of generation to homes, businesses and public charging locations.

To support the Government’s ambitions for EV take-up in the UK, the electricity network must be expanded and upgraded to meet the additional demand requirements of EV charging and other Low Carbon Technologies. As our members look to deliver these upgrades through their regulated price controls, they must be supported by government policy that enables these upgrades to be delivered at pace. We welcome the measures in the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 to reform the NSIP regime and streamline the grid connections process, as well as the LEVI (Local EV Infrastructure) Fund, which has been an important step in helping local authorities support the decarbonisation of transport.

While these developments have helped to speed up infrastructure delivery through planning, addressing the weaknesses in the current land rights and consenting processes is another crucial step the government should take to help networks deliver the backbone of the charging network at pace. The current framework is slow and inefficient, delaying the networks’ ability to provide the infrastructure needed to deliver additional capacity for EVs. We’re calling for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero to focus on the following top priorities:

• Installation of electricity infrastructure at pace: provide the Electricity Networks with the ability to deploy assets at pace, which requires new powers to serve notice and complete works, similar to the Water & Gas Industries.
• Uprating existing overhead lines: introduce an amendment to the Electricity Act that allows existing overhead lines to be replaced with greater capacity lines without the need for additional/replacement land rights.
• 3rd Party land rights: enable 3rd Party Access Rights to be secured within the Necessary Wayleave Process. The Electricity Networks need to be able to access 3rd party land (where no apparatus currently exists) to construct new assets or maintain existing networks.
• Necessary Wayleave Security: the current necessary wayleave process should provide the Electricity Networks with defined timescales for the end-to-end process.

Our members also support the Department for Transport’s Consultation into the changes to various permitted development rights for EV charging. These changes reflect modern charging technology and will enable faster, more reliable and more accessible infrastructure. As rollout grows, central and local government should apply strong street‑level design principles ensuring disabled access, reducing clutter and trip hazards and maintaining safe clearances around electrical assets in line with safety standards.

Streamlined permitted development rights for lamppost‑integrated chargers, bollard chargers and cable management systems will support fair and equitable access to EV charge points. These deployments must also be matched with considered network planning capacity management, monitoring, flexibility services and smart charging to ensure the resilience and efficiency of local grids.

These reforms must be accompanied by continued improvements to the way projects are handled in the grid connections queue. We support NESO’s move towards a “first ready and needed, first connected” approach, and this will give consumers the confidence they need on the availability of grid capacity. The reforms will remove ‘zombie’ projects in the queue that neither have the planning permissions or financing behind them to proceed, thereby unlocking grid capacity for our customers.

Alongside NESO’s connections reforms, we also believe the government should consider developing a medium to long‑term EV charge point plan. Such a plan would set out the expected size and location of future EV hubs, while council or community led charging schemes would give networks early visibility of local ambitions. This would allow networks to assess the impact of proposed schemes, advise developers before applications are submitted, and ensure that the time and cost of any required reinforcement is factored into project planning.

Networks recognise the role of innovation and put considerable effort into improving the customer experience for those switching to low carbon technologies. Our Connect Direct service is a digital platform that lets customers submit and track electricity network connection requests for low carbon technology installations, such as EV charge points, quickly and securely through a single online portal, using AI to provide instant decisions where possible and speed up the overall process.

Connect Direct is responsible for accelerating the process for installers to connect LCTs by enabling multiple applications to be approved almost instantly through a streamlined digital system. It has already processed more than 250,000 applications[1], saving consumers both time and money. We also created "The Journey of an EV Owner"[2] to support consumers in understanding what they need to do and what considerations need to be made for connecting an electric vehicle.

To further boost the confidence of consumers in adopting an EV, we developed and published the Transport Connections Guidance[3], which explains how the electricity system works, introduces key technical terms transport customers are likely to encounter and sets out important information such as standing charges and connection requirements. It outlines what information customers should gather before submitting a connection application, where to find it, and which DNO tools and support channels, including DNO surgeries, can help customers make informed decisions.

The aim of this guidance is to build consumer confidence in adopting EVs, as it’s essential that people trust the availability and simplicity of installing an EV chargepoint.

January 2026

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