Britain's energy regulator has announced a new set of rules to speed up the connection of new projects to the grid and clear zombie projects from the queue.
The current 'first come first served' process, has caused a wait time of up to 15 years to connect to the network.
More than 40% of projects, in the queue, including wind and solar farms, already face waiting until 2030 or beyond to connect to the grid - some as late as 2037.
The projects waiting in the wings could generate 400 gigawatts of electricity, more than double needed to completely decarbonise the power system by 2035, although around 70% of queued projects do not materialise.
However, under new rules, projects in the queue that have stalled or are unlikely to be built will be terminated, and projects ready to go will be fast-tracked.
Eleanor Warburton, a deputy director at Ofgem, said: “The transition to net zero demands urgent changes to the connections system or we cannot unlock investment, speed up network build and accelerate new technology.
“We want new power on the grid as quickly as possible, so if you’re ready, you can connect sooner. If you’re not ready and are blocking the progress of others, you’ll be removed — you can’t sit on the queue with no consequences.”
The new queue management system will begin on November 27, administered by Nation Grid's electricity system operator (ESO).