£8 million project to find ways to protect power supplies from extreme weather
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The company, which delivers power to more than 3.9 million homes and businesses across the North East, Yorkshire, and northern Lincolnshire, will lead the MultiResilience project, exploring how to improve the reliability and robustness of the UK’s power grid.
Guided by its principle of 'innovation through need,' all the projects in Northern Powergrid's portfolio focus on addressing real-world challenges and delivering real consumer and network benefits, whilst accelerating the transition towards net zero. The MultiResilience project seeks to understand how innovative solutions and a more coordinated approach, can improve the resilience of vital local electricity networks, particularly in rural areas, which are more susceptible to power cuts.
The MultiResilience project explores how electricity network operators can address the growing challenges posed by climate change. By collaborating with industry partners, the project will develop new methods to manage and mitigate for the impact of severe weather and other threats, ensuring communities remain connected and the power stays on.
Northern Powergrid will work alongside partners, Smarter Grid Solutions, TNEI, and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) to deliver the MultiResilience project. Together, these organisations bring a wealth of experience and expertise, which will be vital in creating more a more resilient electricity network for the future.
Dr. Bart de Leeuw, Head of Innovation at Northern Powergrid, said, "The MultiResilience project presents us with a unique opportunity to play our role in safeguarding the future of electricity distribution across the UK. The SIF award will enable us to develop solutions that protect our customers' power supplies and minimise disruption, as climate change continues to create new challenges. By working closely with our partners, we're focusing on finding coordinated and cost-effective ways to improve the grid resilience so that customers continue to receive a safe and reliable electricity supply, whatever the conditions.”
Frank Clifton, Innovation Manager at SSEN, welcomed the announcement, underlining the importance of industry collaboration. “This is a critical step towards ensuring that our electricity networks are prepared for the future. A collaborative approach is key to developing solutions that will benefit all UK energy consumers. By working together on the MultiResilience project, we can share knowledge, expertise, and resources and build a more, sustainable power network that will protect customers from interruptions and deliver more reliable power supplies to homes and businesses.”
This funding comes at a pivotal time, as the UK faces increasing pressure from severe weather events including storms and floods. The Met Office confirmed that the 2023/2024 season has been one of the most active on record, with twelve named storms causing widespread disruption and power cuts. The MultiResilience project addresses these challenges head on, positioning Northern Powergrid and its partners at the forefront of network resilience innovation.
The project will begin trials later this year. Northern Powergrid will ensure that learning from this project is shared with network operators across the UK, helping to strengthen the resilience of the UK electricity grid.
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