Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution and UK Power Networks, who collectively supply over 12 million customers, have celebrated their Collaboration Charter that commits to sharing innovation solutions to deliver customer benefits.
UK Power Networks, which is responsible for the electricity network across London, the South East and the East of England, and SSEN which operates the network in central southern England and the north of Scotland, have an established partnership which benefits customers by ‘fast following’ each other’s innovative solutions. The network operators have agreed:
- to share learning and best practice
- to deliver a programme of innovation projects more efficiently
- to innovate in Business as Usual (BAU) areas in the next price control period (RIIO-ED2)
The distribution network operators (DNOs) have an established relationship that is already delivering benefits for customers by increasing efficiencies. SSEN first developed an Active Network Management system for Orkney, where constraints on the network were alleviated to support flexible connections and allow more renewable energy onto the network. UK Power Networks was the first to adopt Light Detection And Ranging technology (LiDAR) to provide digital visualisation of future tree growth which was then swiftly adopted by SSEN, to inform its tree cutting programme.
At an event held in central London, speakers from both DNOs shared the platform to set out their learnings and encourage innovators to come forward with new ideas to support network operations today and ready the electricity system for net zero. Joint presentations covered innovations for operational teams; network resilience in the face of extreme weather; prioritising the needs of the most vulnerable customers; learnings from nationally significant innovation trials Shift (UK Power Networks) and LEO (SSEN); and a panel debate including the GLA and Oxfordshire County Council to identify how collaboration between local authorities and network operators can deliver net zero.
Stewart Reid, Head of Future Networks for SSEN said:
“During the next decade, our electricity networks will undergo the most significant structural change since the formation of the National Grid. We face challenges of more extreme weather, a cost crisis that is increasing vulnerabilities within the communities we serve and the urgent need to ready our network for net zero.
“The work to manage these challenges and deliver a fair and cost-effective net zero future cannot be done alone. We are proud of the partnership we have in place with our UK Power Networks counterparts which allows us to learn twice as fast and deliver better outcomes for our customers.”
Ian Cameron, Head of Customer Service and Innovation for UK Power Networks said:
“Delivering the best we possibly can for our customers sits at the heart of this collaboration agreement. We’re combining the power of two of the country’s leading innovation teams so that we can deliver a more efficient, reliable and safer network for the people we serve.
“The challenges we all face are so great that no individual organisation or even sector can meet them alone. That’s why collaboration is key.”
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