UK Power Networks’ DSO hits flexibility milestone
Image: UK Power Networks
UK Power Networks’ DSO has achieved over 100,000 live assets totalling 2GW of flexibility on its Localflex trading platform, marking a “significant milestone”.
This total includes assets from ongoing day-ahead flexibility markets as well as longer-term tenders, underscoring the growing interest in and capability of flexibility providers for a smart and flexible energy network, the DSO said in a statement.
As such the assets represent a diverse range of market participants from electric vehicle smart charging to batteries, domestic and commercial energy management and renewable energy sources like solar and wind farms
“We have a responsibility to empower a diverse range of customers to contribute to our energy flexibility efforts,” said Alex Howard, head of flexibility markets at UK Power Networks’ DSO.
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“With the launch in April of the first day-ahead flexibility market and our transition to Localflex, we’re enabling consumers and businesses of all sizes to engage and deliver flexibility where it’s needed most. By making flexibility accessible to all, we are maximising value for our customers and enhancing the resilience of our electricity system.”
2024 marked a transition in UK Power Networks’ flexibility procurement to the Localflex platform, operated by EPEX SPOT, allowing seamless management of the entire flexibility procurement process and opening the door to broader participation from a wide range of flexibility providers.
The day-ahead market offers a key advantage, enabling participants to bid closer to real-time, which enhances market accessibility and supports providers with variable operational schedules.
In 2023/24, 7.8GWh of flexibility was dispatched, reflecting a seven-fold increase from the previous year and delivering £91 million (US$112 million) in consumer benefits.
This milestone supports the government’s Clean Power 2030 action plan, which aims to transform the UK’s supply of electricity by significantly increasing the deployment of renewable energy and growing consumer-led flexibility five-fold, the statement adds.
The 100,000 flexible assets can all contribute to meeting UK Power Networks’ customers’ electricity needs as well as balancing the wider system.
