NIE Networks Generation Notification: How G98/NI Actually Works

NIE Networks is the distribution network operator for the whole of Northern Ireland, and it takes small-scale generation notifications under Engineering Recommendation G98/NI rather than G98. The route is free, built around an installer, and works on a Fit and Inform basis: commission the equipment first, then notify within 30 days.

That much has been settled for years. What isn’t settled is whether a plug-in solar device can use it, because a notification process existing isn’t the same thing as the device being lawful to run. The legal side is covered in our guide to the position in Northern Ireland. This page is the mechanics: which form does what, the thresholds, the deadlines, and where the G98/NI route stops fitting a device you plug into a socket.

Is NIE Networks Your Network Operator?

If your electricity supply is in Northern Ireland, yes. There’s no postcode lookup and no regional split, because there’s one distribution network operator for the whole jurisdiction. Northern Ireland Electricity Networks Limited, better known as NIE Networks, "owns the electricity network consisting of approximately 2,300km of transmission network and 50,000km of distribution network. It is also the operator for the distribution network in Northern Ireland", along with 300 major substations. It serves 932,000 homes, farms and businesses. Acquired by ESB in December 2010, it says it "operates as an independent organisation with its own Board and management teams and separate regulation via the Utility Regulator for Northern Ireland".

One practical difference from Great Britain before you start any form. Your supply is identified by an MPRN, which NIE Networks describes as "a unique 11-digit number starting with 8", usually printed on your bill. Failing that, the meter serial number will do.

It’s G98/NI, Not G98

This distinction gets flattened constantly, and it matters more than usual here.

The document is Engineering Recommendation G98/NI, produced by the Operations Directorate of the Energy Networks Association. The edition on NIE Networks’ Distribution Code page is Issue 2, dated May 2026, covering "the connection of Fully Type Tested Micro-generators (up to and including 16A per phase) in parallel with public Low Voltage Distribution Networks in Northern Ireland". Worth knowing if you go looking: NIE Networks’ FAQ pages still call it "G98/NI (Issue 1)" and "G98/NI/1", while the document those pages point to is Issue 2.

The Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification is explicit about the split. Footnote 3 reads:

Engineering Recommendation G98 applies to Great Britain only. In Northern Ireland, connection requirements are set out separately by Engineering Recommendation G98/NI. Application of this specification to Northern Ireland is subject to further consideration and may require amendment.

Section 7 of the same specification, headed "Network-technical requirements", says plug-in solar "shall comply with the technical requirements for connection and parallel operation with low-voltage distribution networks in Great Britain in accordance with the G98". That names Great Britain, and it names G98.

The Thresholds That Decide Which Route You’re On

G98/NI covers what NIE Networks calls micro-scale renewable generation. Its published limits are a maximum of 3.68 kW single-phase, under 11.04 kW on three phase, or under 16 amps per phase. Above any of those you’re into G99/NI Fast Track or G99/NI, a much heavier application process. G98/NI itself sets the test in current rather than kilowatts: clause 5.1.1 refers to "Micro-generating Plant, the aggregate Registered Capacity of which is no greater than 16 A per phase".

One inconsistency echoes a familiar problem. NIE Networks’ Connect Generation page says G98/NI covers "capacity up to 16 Amp per phase, which translates to 3.68kVA for single phase, or 11.04kW for three-phase", while its G98/NI page and FAQs both say 3.68 kW single phase. Volt-amps and watts aren’t the same unit, and the UK framework has the same 800 VA and 800 W discrepancy running through it. Don’t treat the two figures as interchangeable if you’re close to the limit.

A plug-in device isn’t close to it. With an AC output capped at 800 VA and 3.5 A, it sits at roughly a fifth of the G98/NI threshold on all three measures.

How the G98/NI Notification Works

The governing idea is Fit and Inform, which NIE Networks describes as a principle of the engineering recommendation: "The installer should fit and commission the generator, then register the connection online to confirm completion." You don’t wait for approval before switching on.

There are two forms, following a streamlined connection process NIE Networks introduced in 2026. The old Stage 1 Registration, Stage 2 Registration and Stage 2 Commissioning forms have gone: "you will only need to use the Stage 1 Commissioning and Stage 2 Application forms going forward."

Stage 1 Commissioning is the one nearly every household needs, for a single installation at one property. Your installer installs and commissions, then "has 30 days from the date of commissioning to submit the commissioning documentation using the G98/NI Stage 1 Commissioning form". The clock runs from the commissioning date. NIE Networks reviews the Stage 1 application and arranges an import/export meter if the property doesn’t have one.

Stage 2 Application covers multiple installations in a close geographic region, which G98/NI defines as premises within 500m of each other where the same installer is fitting microgeneration inside 28 days. It triggers a network study to assess the impact on the local network, and if network reinforcement is needed there’s a quotation, a 20% deposit and a 90-day window to confirm. Not a one-flat scenario.

Both forms are free: "There are no application fees for connecting a G98/NI Stage 1." Only Stage 2 reinforcement work carries a cost. NIE Networks doesn’t publish a turnaround target for reviewing a Stage 1 submission, and on Stage 2 says only that the time depends on the size of the application.

Two things the notification doesn’t do. It doesn’t get you paid, because NIE Networks "connects your system to the grid but we don’t buy your electricity". You need an export contract with a supplier for that, covered in our guide to telling your electricity supplier about solar. And it isn’t a permission: G98/NI is written so the operator is informed, not asked.

What the Form Asks For, and Who Fills It In

The forms sit behind a login on NIE Networks’ Connections Portal, so you need an account first. Registration asks for a company name alongside your name and email, though only the latter two carry a required-field check. NIE Networks’ application guidance describes generation as "solar panels, battery storage, or other renewable technologies", so a battery storage system sits under the same question. An EV charger or heat pump has its own application type.

From NIE Networks’ guidance and the forms in G98/NI itself, you’ll need:

• Correspondence details for whoever fills the form in, since all notifications go there.
• Micro-generator details, meaning "the manufacturer’s name and model for each generating equipment so we can check it is certified to use in NI". For solar PV, the panels and the inverter.
• A schematic diagram for each micro-generator.
• Who is installing the generation equipment, so NIE Networks can raise technical queries with them.
• The MPRN, plus the location of the equipment and of the lockable isolation switch, all on the Installation Document at G98/NI Appendix 3 Form B.
• The manufacturer’s reference number from the ENA Type Test Register, which G98/NI calls the System Reference.

Where an installer uses Connect Direct, the Energy Networks Association’s connect and notify platform, clause 5.1.3 adds "a clear photograph of the cut out with the application".

On certification, NIE Networks is unambiguous that the Great Britain register counts here too: "To ensure compliance in Northern Ireland, you should check the ENA Type Test Register via the Connect Direct website to confirm that your inverter is approved." That’s the register our certified kit tracker follows, and as at 11 August 2026 nothing under the "Plug-in Solar" device type had been assessed compliant.

The awkward question is who submits it. G98/NI defines an Installer broadly, as "The person who is responsible for the installation of the Micro-generator(s)". The process still assumes a trade: NIE Networks says "typically they will make the required application on your behalf", Form B has a field for "Installer Accreditation / Qualification", and G98/NI’s consumer journey opens with "The first task is to find a competent Installer." A device you unbox and plug in doesn’t have one. For the same puzzle in Great Britain, see how to fill in a G98 form.

What G98/NI Doesn’t Cover

We searched the full text of G98/NI Issue 2, all 92 pages, for "plug-in", "plug in" and "Interim Product Specification". None of the three appears in it. That isn’t an oversight to criticise: the recommendation was last amended in May 2026, before the specification was finalised on 16 July 2026.

It does mean the document is written for fixed installations, and two clauses make that concrete.

Clause 7.2.1: "The Micro-generator(s) shall be connected via an accessible isolation switch that is capable of isolating all phases and neutral. The isolation switch shall be capable of being secured in the ’off’ (isolated) position." A 13 A plug in a socket isn’t a lockable isolator.

Clause 7.3.1: the installer "shall provide labelling at the Connection Point with the DNO’s Distribution Network (cut-out), meter position, consumer unit and at all points of isolation". The interim specification has its own consumer-unit label, but it isn’t this one.

A Notification Route Isn’t Permission to Use the Device

This is where the practical and the legal come apart, and it’s the part most coverage skips. Notifying NIE Networks has been a statutory duty since 2012. Regulation 23(2)(c) of the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 requires that "the person installing the source of energy ensures that the distributor is advised of the intention to use the source of energy in parallel with the network before, or at the time of, commissioning the source". G98/NI clause 8.3.1 restates it, and clause 5.1.2 records the consequence of getting it wrong: failure to comply "may lead to the disconnection of the Micro-generating Plant".

But look at what regulation 23(2) relaxes. For small generators it disapplies sub-paragraphs (b) and (d) of regulation 23(1), so you don’t need the personnel and procedures of a generator or a specific agreement with the distributor. It expressly keeps (a) and (c). And (c) is the one that bites: "where the source of energy is part of a low voltage consumer’s installation, comply with British Standard Requirements".

The Northern Ireland regulations define that term as "the British Standard Requirements for Electrical Installations BS 7671: 2008 IEE Wiring Regulations 17th Edition". BS 7671 is written around fixed installations, which is the original reason plugging a generator into a socket didn’t work. In Great Britain, regulation 3 of SI 2026 No. 848 fixed that by adding an alternative: comply with the interim specification instead. Regulation 1(4) extends regulation 3 to England and Wales and Scotland only, so regulation 23(1)(c) still stands unqualified here. The Changes to Legislation database on legislation.gov.uk records no amendments at all to the 2012 rules as at 17 August 2026.

DESNZ’s final-stage impact assessment names the blocker and the decision-maker: plug-in solar "would only be legally permitted for use in Northern Ireland if the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 are also reformed, and this is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive."

So the honest position is this. NIE Networks runs a real, free, working notification process, and it’s the right one if you’re fitting conventional solar panels through an installer. It isn’t a workaround for the plug-in question. Before spending money on a kit, run it through our compliance checker and check the register yourself.

Contacting NIE Networks About Generation

NIE Networks runs a dedicated generation team, and generation customers with a technical question should start there rather than with the general helpline.

• Email: applicationenquiries@nienetworks.co.uk
• Phone: contact NIE Networks on 03457 643 643, 8.30am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday, excluding public and bank holidays
• Applications: through the Connections Portal at nienetworks.co.uk, which needs a registered account
• Which form: its Help to Decide tool routes you to the right application type
• Network context: its capacity map, more use for larger renewable energy projects than for a domestic connection

Whether a specific plug-in device can be notified is a question for that team, not a retailer. Nothing on NIE Networks’ Connect Generation, G98/NI installations, G98/NI FAQs or Generation FAQs pages addresses plug-in solar devices as at 17 August 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for a generation connection in Northern Ireland?

Through NIE Networks’ Connections Portal, using one of two forms. Most domestic installations use the G98/NI Stage 1 Commissioning form, submitted within 30 days of commissioning. Multiple installations close together use the G98/NI Stage 2 Application form instead, submitted before the work.

What is the G98/NI notification process?

Fit and Inform. The installer fits and commissions the generator, notifies NIE Networks at or before commissioning using a simple online form, then submits the Installation Document within 30 days. NIE Networks reviews it and arranges an import/export meter if one isn’t fitted.

What are the limits for microgeneration in Northern Ireland?

A maximum of 3.68 kW on single phase, under 11.04 kW on three phase, or under 16 amps per phase. G98/NI puts the test as aggregate Registered Capacity no greater than 16 A per phase. Above that you’re into G99/NI Fast Track or G99/NI.

How much does it cost to notify NIE Networks?

Nothing for a G98/NI Stage 1. NIE Networks states there are no application fees for it. Stage 2 is also free to submit, but can lead to costs if the network study finds reinforcement is needed.

What is the difference between G98/NI Stage 1 and Stage 2?

Stage 1 is a single installation at one site, notified after commissioning. Stage 2 covers multiple installations within 500m of each other fitted by the same organisation inside 28 days, and needs a network study before the work goes ahead.

Does my inverter need to be on the ENA register in Northern Ireland?

NIE Networks’ G98/NI guidance says you should check the ENA Type Test Register via Connect Direct to confirm your inverter is approved. The manufacturer’s reference number from that register goes on the Installation Document as the System Reference.

What happens if I don’t notify NIE Networks?

Notification is a statutory duty under regulation 23(2)(c) of the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012, not a courtesy. G98/NI clause 5.1.2 says failure to comply may lead to disconnection of the micro-generating plant.

Can I notify NIE Networks about a plug-in solar device?

There’s no published answer. The thresholds would accommodate an 800 VA device easily, but G98/NI doesn’t mention plug-in solar, its clauses assume a fixed installation with a lockable isolator, and the regulation making such a device lawful to operate in Great Britain doesn’t extend to Northern Ireland. Ask the generation team rather than assuming.

Image suggestions

• H2 "Is NIE Networks Your Network Operator?": map of Northern Ireland with a single-operator label rather than the six-region GB map. Alt: "Map showing NIE Networks as the single distribution network operator for Northern Ireland".
• H2 "It’s G98/NI, Not G98": side-by-side covers of ENA G98 and ENA G98/NI Issue 2. Alt: "Cover pages of Engineering Recommendation G98 and Engineering Recommendation G98/NI Issue 2".
• H2 "How the G98/NI Notification Works": flow diagram of Stage 1 from commissioning to import/export meter fitting. Alt: "Flow diagram of the G98/NI Stage 1 Fit and Inform notification process".
• H2 "What the Form Asks For": annotated screenshot-style graphic of the Installation Document fields. Alt: "Fields required on the G98/NI Installation Document, including MPRN and lockable isolation switch location".
• H2 "A Notification Route Isn’t Permission": two-column graphic separating the notification duty from the use permission. Alt: "Diagram separating the duty to notify NIE Networks from the legal permission to operate a plug-in device".
• H2 "Contacting NIE Networks": simple contact card. Alt: "NIE Networks generation team contact details".