en.Wedoany.com Reported - Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution, in collaboration with consulting firm Baringa, has developed a cost-benefit analysis tool to evaluate the economics of broader application of flexibility in grid planning and operations. This initiative aligns with the "Build and Flex" model to be implemented by the UK Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) during the ED3 price control period, which aims to optimize grid scale, reduce costs, and accelerate customer connections through flexibility, while also constructing new infrastructure.
With households and businesses continuing to face high energy bills, SSEN stated that maximizing the value of existing assets helps control costs and supports the electrification process, decoupling energy prices from volatile fossil fuel markets.
The tool integrates network assessment data from multiple scenarios to weigh the costs and benefits of using flexibility. Its purpose is to enhance confidence in identifying when flexibility is the most effective option, thereby providing more reliable assessments in the following areas: accelerating generation and demand connections to support economic growth and electrification; improving grid access through earlier connections and curtailment management; enhancing planned outage management by reducing reliance on mobile diesel generators, lowering customer interruption risks, and improving workforce efficiency; and enabling critical work requiring outages to be carried out during more periods of the year.
SSEN has shared the tool with other distribution network operators within the Energy Networks Association (ENA) to encourage widespread adoption and maintain methodological consistency.
Paul Fitzgerald, Flexibility Market Manager at SSEN Distribution, stated that the company is a key enabler of electrification and needs to achieve its goals in a cost-effective and sustainable manner, with widespread use of flexibility being crucial to this. Whether in accelerating connections or improving planned maintenance outages, new uses of flexibility will bring greater value to the grid, the broader energy system, and society. SSEN is sharing its experience through ENA working groups and direct exchanges, which helps establish a consistent industry framework for evaluating new uses of flexibility.
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