Independent Advisory Group on Future Electricity Grid for Wales: report summary

The Independent Advisory Group on Future Electricity Grid for Wales (IAG) has been considering the implications of new electricity grid developments for Wales since September 2024. Since April 2025, the group members have worked extensively on the final report and recommendations from their investigative work. The report provides an evidence-based overview of the findings of the group. It sets out recommendations that aim to inform future electricity grid development in Wales, and ensure that infrastructure upgrades support decarbonisation, energy security, and the well-being of communities. 

The report was created by a group of independent experts and stakeholders, convened by the Welsh Government. The independent members have contributed their knowledge on electricity networks, environmental impacts, socio-economic impacts, community interests, and the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act to group discussions. The IAG’s work focused on identifying principles for grid development, considering both technical and social factors, and responding to public concerns about the impacts of new infrastructure, especially the balance between overhead and underground lines. 

The group’s findings and recommendations are intended to guide policy, planning, and engagement as Wales transitions to a low carbon, 21^st century energy system.

Despite the extensive work carried out to develop the final report, it has not been possible to get unanimous agreement from all independent members to the content and the recommendations in the report before publication. This reflects the challenges and strong opinions that remain regarding grid in Wales. 

As the report has the support of most group members, the independent Chair of the IAG has agreed that the report should be published, recognising the growing urgency to make progress on the recommendations. 

The Welsh Government thanks the Chair and all members for their time and attention to detail, and their constructive approach focusing on achieving the publication of recommendations that have support from the majority of the group. This is an important first step in the work needed in the review of policy and engagement over future electricity grid for Wales.

The full recommendations of the group can be viewed in the report. A summary developed by Welsh Government is available below, grouped into key thematic areas:

Recommendation 1

The Welsh Government should ensure people and businesses in Wales are well-prepared for the grid changes needed for decarbonisation, with a clear communication plan to inform and support everyone through the transition. This plan should highlight the benefits of infrastructure changes and provide information about support and compensation for those affected.

Recommendation 2

The Welsh Government should promote or commission accessible, factual information about electricity grid infrastructure, explaining technical aspects and options in a way that is easy for the public to understand.

Recommendation 3

The Welsh Government should provide a clear overview of the processes involved in major infrastructure projects, including timelines, stages, and opportunities for public input. This will help people understand how and when they can engage and may identify ways to speed up delivery to meet decarbonisation targets.

Recommendation 4

The Welsh Government should work with GB-wide organisations to commission reports comparing the costs and technical characteristics of transmission and distribution infrastructure, including environmental impacts and alternative techniques. This is especially important for distribution networks in Wales.

Recommendation 5

The Welsh Government should collaborate with network companies and innovation programmes to consider cable ploughing as an option for specific routes, building on existing knowledge and understanding its costs, impacts, and suitability across different voltages and landscapes.

Recommendation 7

The Welsh Government should work with stakeholders to identify and address gaps in evidence used to assess the impacts of grid infrastructure, commissioning research as needed to ensure decisions can fully consider environmental, social, cultural, and economic effects.

Recommendation 6a/b

The Welsh Government should review its policy approach to grid infrastructure projects, aiming to enhance decision-making and transparency. 

The Welsh Government should consider developing a structured framework for reviewing infrastructure planning and consenting applications, ensuring all costs, impacts, and benefits are considered.

In the process of producing recommendations, the IAG has gathered and considered a significant number of relevant evidence sources. 

Evidence sources already available in the public domain are listed in the annex of the report. Other information provided directly to the group is being finalised for publication on this web page. 

Achieving full consensus of all members of the IAG to the final report content and recommendations was considered challenging given the diverse perspectives of the members, and it has proved unachievable in the timeframe to December 2025. The Independent Chair has agreed the report can be published with a majority consensus, recognising that the themes of the recommendations held within this report have had broad agreement for inclusion across the full membership over the past few months, and that they need to be made available to be able to shape future work. 

The details of IAG members who were unable to agree either the final report or specific recommendations as currently worded are summarised below. Welsh Government acknowledges the challenges in finding solutions to these complex issues and will continue to involve people in policy development, to address these ongoing concerns. 

The community representative was unable to endorse publication of the report and submitted several changes and additions. These included two areas of focus around commissioning critical reviews of expert evidence used for policy, and to making more directive recommendations for policy on cable ploughing. These areas have previously been discussed by the group and there was limited support for going beyond the existing recommendations.