Transmission

The UK's electricity grid connection queue ballooned to over a Terawatt of projects - far more than the country will ever need, creating delays for renewable energy developers trying to bring solar, wind, and battery storage online. Connections reform was designed to clear this gridlock, but delays in the process are now pushing back critical infrastructure decisions that could make or break the UK's 2030 clean energy targets.
In this episode, Ed Porter speaks with Ed Birkett, New Projects Director at Low Carbon.The conversation explores the current state of connections reform, the challenges facing renewable energy developers navigating the new grid offer system, the critical role of battery storage co-location with solar projects, and why substation siting decisions have become the new bottleneck for getting clean energy projects built on time.
Chapters
- 00:00 - Introduction and connections reform recap
- 01:44 - The 1,000GW grid queue crisis
- 02:04 - Transmission versus distribution network access differences
- 03:21 - Gate one and gate two grid offers explained
- 04:06 - Current status of gate two notifications
- 05:28 - Connection date uncertainty and timeline delays
- 07:39 - September deadline for final grid offers
- 09:15 - Co-location of batteries with solar projects
- 11:42 - Why Ofgem removed batteries from solar schemes
- 14:58 - Network capacity constraints and upgrade costs
- 17:25 - Active network management and curtailment solutions
- 20:33 - Distribution versus transmission network capacity planning
- 23:47 - Industry response to battery removal decisions
- 26:19 - The business case for solar-battery portfolios
- 29:51 - Substation siting challenges and planning delays
- 32:44 - National Grid's role in new infrastructure
- 35:16 - Summer solar generation and negative prices
- 38:16 - How solar projects price curtailment risk
- 40:10 - Next steps for connections reform implementation
- 42:02 - Critical path issues for 2030 delivery
- 43:24 - Contrarian view: using existing networks better

Power grids are shifting from reactive crisis management to proactive simulation and planning. Utilities can now rehearse extreme weather events, wildfire scenarios, and load surges before they happen, fundamentally changing how the grid stays reliable.
Alejandro De Diego speaks with Marcus Johansson, Senior Executive - Wildfire Mitigation, Digital Transformation, Grid Modernization at Xcel Energy. The conversation explores how digital twins, virtual replicas of the physical grid, are enabling utilities to run simulations of weather events, wildfire scenarios, and increasing electricity demand.
You can watch or listen to new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.
Transmission is a Modo Energy production. Your host is Alejandro De Deigo - VP of Insights.
Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage understand the market — and make the most out of their assets. Want all the latest power market news? Sign up for our free Weekly Dispatch newsletter: https://bit.ly/TheWeeklyDispatch
Chapters
- 00:03 - Introduction
- 01:45 - Xcel Energy Overview
- 03:05 - Grid Modernization Role
- 04:26 - Digital Twin Technology
- 05:27 - Analytics vs Simulations
- 06:15 - Wildfire Mitigation Strategies
- 07:28 - Advanced Metering Infrastructure
- 08:13 - Predictive Maintenance Applications
- 08:42 - Data Integration Challenges
- 10:29 - Distribution Management Systems
- 13:17 - AI Load Forecasting
- 14:20 - Peak Demand Management
- 16:01 - Sustainability Journey
- 16:28 - Energy Transition Motivation
- 17:10 - Infrastructure Investment Plans
- 18:22 - Transmission Focus Areas
- 18:58 - Join Xcel Energy
- 19:18 - Contrarian Industry Views
- 20:11 - Service Orchestration Mindset
- 20:44 - Build vs Buy
- 21:25 - Future Generation Optimism

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Gas prices spiked over 25% in a week as cold weather and short squeezes created chaos across European and US markets in January 2026.
Ed Porter speaks with Seb Kennedy, founder of Energy Flux, about the recent gas market crisis. Kennedy explains the short squeeze mechanics in European markets, US production freeze-offs, Trump's LNG policies, Venezuela's gas flaring tragedy, and Pakistan's solar boom versus LNG commitments.
You can watch or listen to new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.
Transmission is a Modo Energy production. Your host is Ed Porter - VP of Insights.
Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage understand the market — and make the most out of their assets. Want all the latest power market news? Sign up for our free Weekly Dispatch newsletter
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction and January 2026 gas spike
01:44 - Seb Kennedy's dual role journalist analyst
04:26 - Understanding TTF and Henry Hub hubs
05:37 - Investment fund positioning and short squeeze
09:05 - Weather patterns driving European gas demand
12:13 - Nuclear outages worsening European gas crisis
14:44 - US gas price spike explained
16:53 - Freeze-offs and US production challenges
21:13 - LNG export constraints at Freeport facility
25:20 - Trump administration's impact on LNG markets
29:20 - Panama Canal and geopolitical LNG considerations
30:47 - Venezuela's political upheaval and oil situation
32:40 - Venezuela's massive gas flaring crisis
35:20 - Pakistan's renewable boom versus LNG commitments
42:53 - Key themes to watch in 2026
44:25 - Contrarian view on import dependence

Transmission is getting a glow up and we want to hear from you what we can improve. Help us by filling in this short survey. https://form.typeform.com/to/kCdj85iK?typeform-source=www.linkedin.com
Can energy-only market design deliver both reliability and affordability as electricity grids face unprecedented transformation?
In this episode, Alex speaks with Keith Collins, Vice President of Commercial Operations at ERCOT, about managing the unprecedented challenges facing Texas's electricity grid. As data centers and AI facilities flood into the state, ERCOT must balance explosive demand growth with affordability and reliability all within an energy-only market structure that's unique among major US grid operators.
Chapters:
00:00 ERCOT's role in Texas grid management
01:09 Electricity market design and efficiency
02:28 Winter Storm Uri and resource adequacy
04:40 Texas data center boom explained
06:39 Energy-only markets and price signals
08:18 Grid resource adequacy challenges
12:28 Dispatchable reliability reserve service ECRS
18:45 Real-time energy and ancillary services
22:15 765kV transmission expansion in Texas
26:30 Residential demand response and virtual power plants
31:45 Comparing ERCOT to other US markets
36:27 Future grid technologies and storage growth
40:05 Distributed battery systems and grid integration
41:05 ERCOT market design framework
You can watch or listen to new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.
Transmission is a Modo Energy production. Your host is Ed Porter, our VP of Insights.
Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage understand the market — and make the most out of their assets. Want all the latest power market news? Sign up for our free Weekly Dispatch newsletter: https://bit.ly/TheWeeklyDispatch

While the industry often focuses on the cost of the hardware, the real challenge and value lies in successfully delivering, integrating, and operating these assets over their lifetime. As the market matures, the focus shifts from hardware procurement to the complexities of site integration, grid compliance, and ensuring long-term availability.
In practice, microgrids are shaping how large-scale energy projects operate, helping to accelerate the use of grid-forming technology. Meanwhile, combining solar with battery storage is becoming an increasingly effective way to reduce wasted energy and improve project economics.
In this conversation, Ed speaks with Lucie Kanius-Dujardin, Global Managing Director at NHOA, about what it really takes to deliver complex energy projects at scale. They discuss the realities of managing global supply chains, the push toward higher-capacity battery cells, and why the often-overlooked “brain” of the system - the Power Plant Controller - is just as important as the battery itself.
Key topics discussed
•Why the Power Plant Controller is critical to smooth commissioning and reliable performance - not just an add-on to the hardware.
• How experience with microgrids has created an edge in deploying grid-forming technology on modern transmission networks.
• Why more developers are pairing solar with storage to protect revenues and reduce grid constraints.
• Whether a single global solution can work across very different local grid rules, from Scotland to Australia.
• How integrators are keeping systems reliable as battery cells rapidly increase in size and capacity.
About our guest
Lucie Kanius-Dujardin is the Global Managing Director of NHOA Energy, a global provider of turnkey battery energy storage solutions. With 15 years in the energy sector, she oversees the company's technology, delivery, and long-term asset service pillars across markets in Europe, Australia, and beyond.
Connect with Lucie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucie-kanius-dujardin-47855521/?locale=en_US
To find out more about NHOA, head to their website: https://nhoa.energy/
About Modo Energy
Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage understand the market — and make the most out of their assets.
All episodes of Transmission are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To stay up to date with our analysis, research, data visualisations, live events, and conversations, follow us on LinkedIn. Explore The Energy Academy, our bite-sized video series explaining how power markets work.