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The Teesside skyline has changed a fair bit since I worked here many years ago at British Steel. Back then, smoke plumes were part of the landscape. Today, wind turbines span the shoreline, new clean technologies are taking root, and the region is setting out ambitious plans for advanced manufacturing, data centres and AI. It is a powerful reminder that the energy transition is not an abstract national project. It is happening in real places, with real consequences for jobs, investment, skills and local growth. That is why strategic energy planning matters. At the National Energy Systems Operator (NESO), our role is to help plan and operate a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system for Great Britain. That includes the engineering challenge of moving to a cleaner system. But it also means understanding where future demand will come from, where new generation and network infrastructure will be needed, and how the energy system can support the ambitions of different places. Teesside is a good example of why that matters. The region has a proud industrial heritage and a clear vision for its future. Its plans for clean industry, manufacturing and digital infrastructure all depend on having the right energy system in place. If we get that planning right, energy can help unlock economic growth. If we get it wrong, it can become a constraint. That was the focus of our visit to Teesside this week, where NESO chief executive Fintan Slye and I met Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen. The discussion reinforced something we are hearing across the country: that local leaders understand their areas, their industries and their growth plans. Their insight needs to shape how we plan the energy system. This is not just true in Teesside. Recent visits to Gloucester, Norwich and Durham have shown how local energy projects, clean technology and skills development are already supporting jobs and investment. At the Local Government Association Conference in Bournemouth, we heard the same message from councils. Energy planning is now central to housing, regeneration, industrial investment and economic growth. These are different places with different priorities, but they point to the same conclusion. Strategic energy planning only works if it is grounded in the ambitions, constraints and opportunities of the places it is designed to serve. That is why NESO is putting regional and local insight at the heart of strategic energy planning. In June, we hosted 13 Strategic Planning Forums across Scotland, England and Wales, bringing together hundreds of stakeholders to share intelligence, test assumptions and explore how energy can support local priorities. These conversations are essential. They help us understand not just what infrastructure may be needed, but why it is needed, where it can have the greatest impact and how it can support wider economic ambition. This approach is also central to NESO's Regional Energy Strategic Plans. We are developing 11 plans: one for Scotland, one for Wales and nine for the English regions. Each will take a bottom-up approach, shaped by local and regional priorities, while remaining joined up with national energy planning. That balance is important. Great Britain needs a coherent national energy system. But it also needs a system that reflects the different strengths, opportunities and needs of its nations and regions. The future energy system cannot be planned from the centre alone. For me, that is one of the clearest lessons from Teesside. The region's industrial past helped power Britain's economy for generations. Its future could help shape the next phase of clean growth. But that will only happen if energy planning is connected to place, industry and ambition. Our job at NESO is to help make those connections. By working with the national government, local leaders, industry and communities, we can plan an energy system that supports security, affordability and clean power — while helping every part of Great Britain realise its potential. Julian Leslie is strategic planning director and chief engineer at the National Energy Systems Operator (NESO)

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ENERGY

Why energy transition is bottom up

By Julian Leslie | 21 July 2026

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