Electricity networks

Citizens Advice says RIIO2 proposals still ‘too generous’ to networks

Ofgem seem to be pushing energy networks’ buttons – but they could be braver

Networks defer £39m of charges as part of Covid support

Ofgem has revealed that around £39 million of network charges had been deferred as of the end of August. Under the schemes announced earlier this year energy networks were to defer up to £350 million of charges as a last resort for struggling suppliers and shippers.

Flexibility across the spectrum

Matt Watson, project manager for Western Power Distribution’s Intraflex project, talks to Utility Week about their efforts to increase participation in local flexibility markets by buying services both further away and closer to real time.

‘Skewed’ incentives will leave networks scared to take risks

Not as easy as it looks

In a price control, companies will always claim the regulator has made errors but the RIIO2 draft determinations do appear to contain an unprecedently high number of basic arithmetic mistakes, says Maxine Frerk.

SPEN threatens CMA appeal if Ofgem doesn’t budge

SP Energy Networks (SPEN) has warned Ofgem it could appeal to the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) over the regulator’s “manifestly flawed” take on its business plan for the next price control. The electricity transmission company has demanded a revised draft determination by early October correcting what it claims are errors on Ofgem’s part and reversing a £15 million business plan penalty.

Renewable UK says current RIIO2 plans will hold up vital network expansions

It’s all downside and very little upside – Nicola Shaw blasts Ofgem’s sums

The brooding row between Ofgem and networks over the draft price determinations would appear to strike at the very heart of energy companies’ ambitions to Build Back Better – no more so than at National Grid as executive director Nicola Shaw tells Denise Chevin

Social Energy bags fully domestic frequency response contract in weekly auctions

Ofgem accused of ignoring stakeholders in RIIO2 proposals

SSE: Net zero delay is not zero cost

Nuisance tripping project reaches halfway point

Work to prevent distributed generators from nuisance tripping in response to disturbances on the power grid has so far covered 10.4GW of capacity.

One small step could enable one giant leap for UK energy

The energy sector has so far failed to act meaningfully on warm words about local flexibility, writes Matthew Roderick, former CTO at the Data Communications Company and now CEO of n3rgy. He presents his proposal for a first step to real change - without a complete system redesign.

ED2: How local, how flexible, how fast?

Northern Powergrid has launched the first stage in compiling its business plan for the RIIO ED2 price control. Utility Week speaks to the company’s policy and markets director, Patrick Erwin, about a tiered approach to engaging consumers, learnings from the gas and transmission networks and acting as a “force for good”.