Constrained networks

We said we would consult with our customers to better understand their experiences of connecting to constrained networks in our region.

In line with Ofgem’s expectation that DNOs should make every effort to engage with their stakeholders and develop solutions that overcome any challenges they face, we said that we would consult with our customers to better understand their experience of connecting to constrained networks in our region and if necessary develop innovative solutions that would address these issues.

We have previously identified four areas of constraint on our network and have implemented innovative flexible solutions that mean generators can connect without having to pay for upstream reinforcement costs and currently have about 700MW of actively managed solutions connected to our network.

Ofgem’s consultation on constrained networks in March 2016, generated very little feedback from stakeholders relating specifically to Northern Powergrid, and so in our October 2016 ICE mid-year review we made a commitment to conduct our own consultation with our customers to better understand any issues they face when connecting to our network.

We issued the consultation on 1 February, 2017, it was targeted at 224 HV and EHV generation and energy storage customers who we thought would be most interested in this issue. The response was good with 44% of those contacted reading the email. We also contacted all the members of the DG-DNO Steering Group to ask them for their views. We invited all of them to take part in a roundtable discussion with the opportunity to explore the issues raised in more detail. In total we received seven responses, which we published as part of our consultation outcome document. Respondents also took part in roundtable discussions at an event on 1 March 2017.

Our consultation outcome document, which included a series of proposals and actions for our 2017/18 ICE plan designed to address our customers’ feedback, was published on our website. We also contributed to Ofgem’s ‘Unlocking the capacity of electricity networks’ consultation and when the document was published, reviewed it to understand our regulator’s recommendations and any additional actions arising.

The results from our consultation have given us confidence that our customers are satisfed with the way we are managing network constraints and reinforce our view that they are not experiencing any significant barriers when connecting to our network. We will continue to maintain a watching brief on the issue and monitor and learn from other DNOs tackling the issue of constrained networks. We are also committed to regularly engaging with our customers on the topic.

• Consultation on addressing network constraints 
• Outcome of our consultation on addressing network constraints