Billions of pounds of energy investment could be unlocked by tackling 'zombie' grid projects

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said this will stop “zombie projects”, which are not ready, from slowing down wind and solar farms that can get connected quickly.

The Northern Powerhouse Partnership believes this will help unlock billions of pounds of investment in energy and industrial decarbonisation across Yorkshire and the North.

Chief executive Henri Murison told The Yorkshire Post: “Electricity grid reform is in the national interest.

“Speculators seeking connections for many more battery storage projects than we will ever need have been delaying vital offshore, onshore wind and solar projects across the North.

“Scenarios by Cambridge Econometrics for our Net Zero by 2050 report illustrated that here across the North we can secure £10bn for energy and £4bn of industrial decarbonisation on average every year, much of which will all be enabled by these changes.

“This includes direct generation projects and critical investment in both electricity transmission and distribution networks.”

Cambridge Econometrics calculated for the NPP that across all energy projects in the North at least £7 of every £10 invested will be private money.

Developers have complained for years about the time it takes to get a cable to connect their wind or solar farm to the grid.

The current system means that a serious project which could provide electricity to millions of homes is often stuck behind more speculative schemes in the queue.

The queue is also an impediment to large-scale electric vehicle charging sites, like buses and vans, connecting to the grid.

Yorkshire’s geography makes it primed for on-shore and off-shore wind, as well as solar farms.

Danish company Ørsted is currently developing a huge wind farm, Horsea 3, off the Yorkshire coast in the North Sea, which would power 3.3m homes.

The firm has also pitched to build a solar farm the size of Beverley in the East Riding, which locals have raised concerns over the impact on tenant farmers.

The county’s largest solar farm - in Skeeby, near Richmond, North Yorkshire - went live last year, despite 117 objections.

The Government says that building clean power infrastructure will stop the country’s energy dependence on dictators like Vladimir Putin, and has pledged cheaper energy bills for people who live near pylons, wind and solar farms.

Mr Miliband said: “Too many companies are facing gridlock because they cannot get the clean energy they need to drive growth and create jobs.

“These changes will axe ‘zombie’ projects and cut the time it takes to get high growth firms online while also fast-tracking connections for companies delivering homegrown power and energy security.

“In an uncertain world, our message to the global clean energy industry is clear; come and build it in Britain because we are a safe haven.”

Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley added: “This is a historic decision which supercharges Britain’s clean power ambitions with a more targeted approach anticipated to help unlock up to £40bn a year of mainly private investment and energise economic growth.”