User Self Build agreements
User Self Builds offer an alternative way to connect to the high voltage transmission network in England and Wales. Once a firm connection agreement is in place, customers take on the construction of their own connection assets; however, they must follow strict rules to meet safety and quality standards.
What is a User Self Build?
In a standard connection, the customer contracts with the National Energy System Operator (NESO), who then appoints National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) to build the connection.
With a User Self Build (USB), the customer builds the connection themselves, such as occupying a new bay in an existing substation and installing connection assets, on behalf of NGET.
Key requirements
Legal agreement: USBs are direct contracts between the customer and NGET. NESO is not part of this agreement.
Standards: All work must meet NGET’s technical, safety, and quality standards and be completed within the stated timelines in accordance with the connection agreement.
Progress updates: Customers must provide regular updates to NGET throughout the build.
Ownership: On completion, work is quality assessed and checked against the appropriate guidelines before being commissioned. When this has completed successfully, NGET will take ownership of the assets once they pass safety and quality checks.
Defect liability: Customers remain responsible for defects for five years after handover.
Planning consent
Under the customer connection agreement, it is the customer’s responsibility to secure all necessary consents and land rights for their User Works, including any works on NGET-owned or controlled land. Customers may not rely on NGET’s permitted development rights (which are reserved for the benefit of NGET’s transmission undertaking/NGET operational land) to undertake customer works, and should therefore ensure that they can demonstrate that appropriate consents are in place.
For more information on the process for securing land rights on land owned by NGET, please refer to the guidance on the ‘Use of National Grid Land’.
For further information on User Self Build contracts, please review our document here.
