A NETWORK operator is accelerating its prediction for how quickly the North West will shift to electric vehicles as a result of the significant reduction in battery costs in 2021.
Electricity North West has increased its forecast by 20 per cent since last year, meaning it now expects to see up to 1.2 million electric vehicles on UK roads before 2030.
These predictions form part of Electricity North West’s annual Distribution Future Electricity Scenarios (DFES) report, which sets out how it expects the way we use energy will change over the next 30 years.
This year’s report also estimates that the government’s Heat and Building Strategy, published last year, will lead to 200,000 heat pumps replacing gas boilers in the North West by the end of this decade.
As a result of these shifts, Electricity North West expects the demand for power to increase by a third of its current levels by 2030 and has set out a detailed plan to show how it will ensure the network is ready for this surge in demand, investing £1.8bn between 2023 and 2028 to create vital new capacity.
The business will deliver the plan at the lowest cost to customers, reducing its part of energy bills by at least 5.5 per cent a year, while leading the region to a net zero carbon future.
As well as investing in creating new capacity, one of the other things the business is doing to manage demand on the network is offering heavy users of power such as businesses the opportunity to earn money by reducing the amount of electricity they use, or increasing the amount they generate, at peak times.
