Government plans to ‘halve’ the time it takes for more power lines to be built across the UK could prove a lifeline in removing obstacles to new EV charge point installations, according to Mer UK.

Grid capacity is a major obstacle in the rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure

In a long-awaited report published last week, Electricity Networks Commissioner Nick Winser suggested that the time to build new electrical infrastructure in the UK could be cut from around 14 years now to seven years under new proposals.

Now, Karl Anders, managing director at Mer UK, has said the recommendations could help fast-track the rollout of much-needed EV charging infrastructure around the country.

“A deficit in grid capacity is possibly the single most inhibiting factor in achieving our net zero goals, especially when it comes to the electric vehicle charging infrastructure. With increased production of energy from renewable sources, there is no shortage of energy to power vehicles but there is a shortage of capacity to get renewable energy to where it is needed.

“A great deal of the work done by our fleet charging teams involves helping organisations gear up their electricity supply to handle the volume of energy their EV fleets require. This often means upgrading their connections from the grid via their DNOs. These projects take time and effort to get the necessary permissions and do the groundwork, including obtaining wayleaves.

“Any initiative that removes some of the planning bottlenecks is welcome. I sincerely hope that Nick Winser’s proposals will deliver on the promise of speeding up the delivery times of electricity projects to make sustainable, zero-carbon EV charging networks a reality.”