Empowering Energy Demand strongly supports the establishment of a future-facing National Energy System Operator (NESO) and agree with the regulator that its “success is of paramount importance to reaching net zero”. Transforming a system victim to the whims of a handful of large generators to one embracing tens of millions of small assets dotted around the country that have day jobs first – charging a car, heating a home, powering a business – and can help the system second, is no small feat. It offers Great Britain the chance to become a true clean energy superpower. We must make the most of this once in a generation opportunity.

NESO will be a public body of massive strategic and operational heft, unlike anything the industry has seen in over two decades. Although the heavily regulated monopoly of ESO often felt like a public body wrapped in a private cloak, the implicit presumptions upon which it built its practices do not align with the scrutiny afforded actual public entities. Explaining shortfalls, embracing challenges, and executing change is imperative for our system operator to reach Clean Power by 2030. This report considers 5 core questions: