London homes at risk of delay over energy supply to go ahead

Developers had been warned electricity to their sites may not have been available until 2030

Some housing developments which risked delays due to a lack of electricity capacity can now go ahead in London.

Developers had been warned some projects might be paused as there would be no spare capacity on the network for new connections until at least 2035.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) says it has now fixed the issue for smaller housing projects.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said this meant "the majority" of developments in west London could proceed.

Earlier this year, the Greater London Authority wrote to developers building homes in Ealing, Hounslow and Hillingdon, telling them it had "become aware of an issue relating to the availability of electricity capacity in west London".

It said the electricity shortage would impact at least 50 housing projects, with had completion dates ranging from 2023 to 2043. This included projects that were receiving funding for affordable homes, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

SSEN confirmed in a letter to the mayor that any development with an electricity demand amounting to a usage of between 100 and 250 homes would be able to go ahead without having to wait for upgrades to the transmission network.

It added out of 66 developers identified as facing electricity constraints, 42 would be able to connect to the network under the new approach.

The mayor said despite the progress, there were still some issues including hospitals and electric vehicle charging points in west London that could be affected by wider constraints on the electricity network.

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