National Grid ESO together with the Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) have warned that there are just four weeks left for businesses and individuals to apply for funding to update their generation equipment.
As part of the Accelerated Loss of Mains Change Programme (ALoMCP), new mandatory Distribution Code regulations are set to come into force from 1 September 2022.
Therefore funding is available to those that own or operate electricity generation like solar, wind, gas and combined heat and power (CHP) to update their systems to become compliant with the new regulations.
The updates relate to the inverters, converters or G59 relays, which are responsible for the Loss of Mains protection settings. By updating the protection settings of such, the generation network becomes more reliable, strengthening the wider system, the ESO said.
Businesses and individuals will have to update their systems if they were:
• Installed before February 2018 (or in some cases, July 2018).
• Are between 11kW and 50MW in capacity.
• Are connected via the G59 engineering requirement of the Distribution Code.
According to a survey conducted in 2018 by The Economist, one in three UK businesses now generate their own electricity, suggesting there is a significant number of businesses that need to update their equipment.
Those that are found to be non-compliant from September could be subject to Ofgem approved enforcement action that could lead to the de-energisation of the whole site.
“Compliance with Loss of Mains requirements is not optional and so electricity generator owners should take advantage of the funding that is available now to help them make the upgrades,” said Cheng Chen, the senior manager for the ALoMCP at National Grid ESO.
“This is a relatively small change for most generator owners to make, but if we can achieve widespread compliance the combined impact will have a huge benefit to our electricity network. By becoming compliant, generator owners will be futureproofing their power and helping to deliver a strong, resilient, and low carbon electricity network to protect our power for future generations.”
National Grid ESO and the DNOs warning about the upcoming ALoMCP funding deadline follows similar calls from the operators over more than a year.
The deadline for funding applications is is Tuesday 10 May 2022, following which generator owners will have to pay for any upgrades required to become compliant themselves.