On 29 September 2026, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Great British Energy announced Great British Grid, a new publicly owned body within Great British Energy. According to the announcement, it would invest public capital alongside private investment in electricity network infrastructure, working with existing network operators, and would help accelerate projects and increase competition.

The government said it was already working with NESO and Ofgem on connections reform, including overhauling the connections queue and removing more than 300 GW of speculative capacity. It also said it would bring forward reforms to expand self-build connections and accelerate competitive tendering of transmission projects. The release cited similar reforms in Ireland as reducing connection times by up to 11 months.

The announcement stated that Great British Grid would complement, not replace, existing institutions: Ofgem remains the independent economic regulator, NESO remains responsible for operating, planning and coordinating the electricity system, and the role of existing network operators is unchanged. Initial start-up costs were to be covered by Great British Energy's existing budgets, with the long-term budget for the expanded remit to be considered in a future spending review.