Ofgem has opened a consultation on its minded-to position regarding Early Construction Funding (ECF) applications submitted by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks Transmission (trading as Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission Plc – 'SHET') for eight electricity transmission projects.

The consultation details Ofgem's ECF assessment governed by SHET's electricity transmission licence under the Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) re-opener. It outlines the scope, purpose and questions of the consultation, along with how stakeholders can take part. Once the consultation closes, Ofgem will review all responses before making a final decision.

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ECF is intended to enable certain permitted early construction activities to begin ahead of planning consents and full project finalisation. Ofgem is not involved in planning decisions, and any award of ECF does not influence or assume the outcome of relevant planning processes. Stakeholders are encouraged to engage directly with the planning process for comments on project design or scope.

Ofgem says its ECF decisions seek to balance moving projects forward at pace where this is in consumers' interests with protecting bill-payers from disproportionate exposure to costs that could become irrecoverable if a project does not proceed as planned.

The regulator is seeking views from people with an interest in new transmission infrastructure, meeting the net zero challenge, and competition in onshore transmission networks. It particularly welcomes input from consumer groups, communities and others affected by the projects, stakeholders focused on the costs of electricity transmission infrastructure, and transmission owners, as well as the wider public.

Responses should be sent to [email protected] by 10 April 2026. The consultation was published on 5 March 2026 and is currently open, with supporting documents available on Ofgem's website.