Regional Energy Strategic Planning (RESP)
In early-2025, NESO will become responsible for producing Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs) for England, Scotland and Wales. The plans will help ensure that local areas get the energy infrastructure they need to meet local net zero and growth ambitions. The RESPs will form part of NESO’s wider strategic energy planning activities, ensuring a joined-up approach between national, regional and local levels.
About RESP
Ofgem awarded NESO the RESP role in November 2023. Following their public consultation in July 2024, Ofgem is currently considering the specifics of the RESP role, with a final decision on the RESP policy framework expected in early-2025.
The RESP role
The RESP role has been set up to develop regional plans that span across all energy vectors – electricity, gas, heat networks, and hydrogen networks – as part of one integrated energy system.
These different energy systems are currently planned separately. By moving to a joined-up whole-system approach, this will ensure investment is targeted where it’s needed, and that progress towards net zero can be accelerated.
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NESO will be producing RESPs for the nations and regions defined by Ofgem. These are proposed in Ofgem's July 2024 consultation as:
The detailed boundaries are available in the Ofgem consultation document |
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Ofgem has set out that the NESO should follow four principles to guide its work: place-based; whole system; vision-led; and proactive.
By being place-based the RESP role will help ensure that the views of local customers are central to the way we plan for Great Britain’s net zero energy system.
For the first time, the RESPs will ensure a joined-up whole-system approach is taken to planning the energy infrastructure local areas need.
Bespoke visions will underpin the development of the bespoke plans for each region and nation. A proactive approach will include listening to local customers and stakeholders to ensure that a wide range of priorities, insights and data are used to inform regional plans.
NESO will be responsible for developing a methodology, setting out how the RESPs will be produced. Our intention is to publish the draft methodology for consultation in late 2025.
The list below sets out our key milestones for the first three years of our new RESP role. It's based on the proposals to date from Ofgem and is subject to further development once NESO formally takes on the RESP role in early 2025.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 - RESP Ofgem policy decision | Q1 - tRESP output published | Late 2027 - RESPs published |
| Q2 - RESP Forums and Working Groups established | Q2 - RESP Strategic Boards established | |
| Q3 - tRESP pathways consultation | Q2 - Final RESP methodology published | |
| Q4 - RESP methodology consultation |
The RESP role will be delivered as part of NESO's wider strategic energy planning (SEP) activities.
These include the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan, Centralised Strategic Network Plan, and Future Energy Scenarios.
For more information about how they interact, see our SEP Summary document.
These pages are based on the latest RESP consultation document available from Ofgem. This was their public consultation on the RESP role, published in July 2024. The document is available on the Ofgem website.
A copy of NESO's response to the consultation is available on the Ofgem website.
Further details on the RESP role will be contained within Ofgem's policy decision document, which is expected to be published in early 2025. The document will be available on the Ofgem website.
To contact the RESP Team at NESO, please email [email protected]