The United Kingdom government is planning to establish a publicly owned electricity network body as part of efforts to reduce energy costs and speed up connections for businesses and renewable energy projects.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to announce the creation of Great British Grid during the Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool.

The new organisation will operate within Great British Energy and is expected to take a greater role in the development of the country’s electricity network infrastructure.

According to the Labour Party, Great British Grid will help remove delays affecting companies seeking to connect to the electricity network. It is also expected to encourage greater competition and support the expansion of industrial activity.

The government plans to work towards bringing Britain’s energy costs closer to levels in other European countries over the next 10 years.

The initiative is also linked to the UK’s renewable energy expansion, with the government seeking to improve the process for connecting new clean energy projects to the national grid.

Burnham is expected to outline the plans as part of Labour’s broader approach to increasing public involvement in energy infrastructure.

The proposed changes come as Britain seeks to expand electricity generation and network capacity while addressing energy costs faced by households and businesses.

Great British Grid would therefore have a role in coordinating and developing network infrastructure needed to accommodate additional electricity demand and new renewable energy capacity.