WPD makes domestic connections pledge

Western Power Distribution (WPD) has pledged to automatically approval all connection requests by domestic customers to install low-carbon technologies such as electric vehicle (EV) chargers or heat pumps.

The distribution network operator said the commitment will make installations quicker and easier, with customers no longer needing to wait for their go-ahead before proceeding.

“By saying ‘yes’ to all domestic sized connections, we remove one consideration from the list for customers,” said WPD system development manager Paul Jewell.

“We might need to come and do some work at some customers’ properties but any domestic customer who is thinking of installing these low carbon technologies can proceed with confidence that our network will not be a barrier to their plans.”

Speaking to Utility Week, Jewell said although they may trigger reinforcement work, WPD’s analysis indicates there will be enough headroom on local electricity networks for individual domestic installations to go ahead without waiting for its approval.

WPD said there are currently almost 11,000 and more than 58,000 EV chargers connected to its network across the Midlands, the South West and South Wales. It expects another 628,000 heat pumps and 1.5 million EV chargers to be connected over the five-year RIIO ED2 price controls beginning in April 2023.

Jewell said the reinforcement work necessary to accommodate these connections are covered by the baseline funding requested in its ED2 business plan, whilst funding to allow additional connections beyond these levels could be unlocked through the volume-driver mechanism recently proposed by Ofgem in its draft determinations.

“The 2050 deadline for reaching net zero is 28 years away,” he added. “Many of our assets have a 50-year lifespan, so we are already building the network that will be operational when net zero is a reality.

“We’ve been installing larger service cables to new-build properties for a few years now and we are now installing larger network cables ready to meet demand.

“All of this work will support the revolutionary changes we are all going to have to make to achieve net zero. As a network operator, we know customers rely on us being there for them and we cannot afford to get this wrong.”

WPD said its pledge will also be supported by changes to the funding arrangements for connections being introduced in April 2023 following Ofgem’s significant code review of network access arrangements, whereby demand customers will no longer be required to contribute towards the costs of reinforcing the wider network if this work is triggered by their connection.