SSEN has unveiled a new strategy for planning and developing grid upgrades, while UKPN was awarded just under £25 million from the SIF.
SSEN’s plan for future supply-demand and flexibility gaps
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), the distribution network operator (DNO) for central southern England and the North of Scotland, has unveiled a strategy to drive forward an “unparalleled era” in network development.
The news that it will publish a consultation on the methodology and engagement process for devising and developing its proposals comes alongside the opening of the second area-specific consultation for the Fawley Grid Supply Point. The project will connect the New Forest area and the Isle of Wight.
Over the course of the next year, SSEN says it will publish a series of Strategic Development Plans (SDPs) for its license areas. It is crucial to ensure that new and upgraded electricity distribution infrastructure is designed to meet predicted demand as domestic and business customers use and generate increasing amounts of clean electricity.
The SDPs are intended to bridge the gap between projections for future demand and generation growth between now and 2050, and the required specific network investment and flexibility options which will help meet this need. SDP drafts will be open for feedback from those who will be affected by the proposals.
As projections are updated and stakeholders’ views factored in, the SDPs will be reviewed annually. The plans will also be influenced by SSEN’s own Distribution Future Energy Scenarios, which project future energy demand locally.
Andrew Wainwright, whole system team manager at SSEN Distriution, said: “We’re at the heart of the journey to net zero, and the people we’re on this journey with have been telling us about their future energy needs.
“Our Strategic Development Plans will act as a blueprint for an electricity system that’s smart, fair, and fit for net zero. These will be living plans, and we’ll be canvassing our stakeholders for feedback, so their insights can continue to shape our plans for the better.”
UKPN receives cash injection from Ofgem’s SIF
In related news, UK Power Networks (UKPN) has received just under £25 million from Ofgem’s Stategic Innovation Fund (SIF) for three projects that have been selected to start large-scale trials.
This year marks the first time that electricity distribution networks have been included in the funding programme. SP Energy Networks secured over £21 million during the same awarding round; of the companies awarded in Round 2, UKPN received 30% of the Beta phase funding, totalling £24,951,881.
The selected projects have successfully completed ‘Discovery’ and ‘Alpha’ phases and will be joined later this year by additional Alpha phase projects as part of SIF Round 3.
UKPN’s awarded projects include a trial to install a combination of solar panels and battery storage solutions, as well as capturing heat from mini data centres installed at participants’ homes. Called SHIELD, the project aims to explore how technologies can work in tandem to support low-income households through the energy transition.
Heatropolis, a decarbonisation trial focused on whole system planning between the electricity network and local heat networks, was also awarded. The project will demonstrate how community heat networks can support the operation of electricity networks.
Finally, CReDo+ will establish a digital twin and enable secure data sharing for both networks and asset owners to build resilience against climate change and identify areas of risk between assets in extreme weather events.
Head of innovation at UK Power Networks, Luca Grella, said that after UKPN has been a “big supporter” of the Strategic Innovation Fund, “now is when the fun really begins”.
He continued: “It’s incredibly exciting, not only to be dramatically scaling up the scope of these projects, but to be working alongside some of the brightest minds in our sector to bring them to life.”
