Our 5 key focuses
Right capacity, right time, right place, lowest cost
We aim to deliver the right capacity in the right place, at the right time, at the lowest cost for our customers.
To do this, we focus our work around five key areas.
Coordination
Our coordination with other network and system operators
Connections Reform
Working closely with NESO to support the Connections Reform queue formation process resulting in over 250 ready and needed projects (accounting for 9 GW of capacity) securing a position in the reformed NESO transmission connections queue
Bringing forward investment
Including up-to-date local housing development data and local area energy planning (LAEP) data from 66 local authorities into our forecasts, bringing forward investment through our LAEP Support Framework and co-ordinating with public body NESO’s Regional Energy Strategic Plans
Standardising flexibility markets
Standardising GB flexibility markets by chairing industry groups and leading multiple initiatives, making it simpler for customers
Data & Information
Our provision of data and information
Supporting decarbonisation planning
Easy access to over 160Creating a Regional Energy Dashboard, consolidating datasets councils need into one personalised view, building on LAEP Open Data Page with easy access to 170 datasets datasets prioritised by local authorities to support decarbonisation planning
Improving performance of the Open Data Portal (ODP)
Improving performance of the Open Data Portal (ODP); our largest dataset with 49 million records now taking one minute to download, down from 44 hours
DSO data page free to access data and digital services
Developing new, free to access data and digital services for local authorities, including ChargePoint Navigator and LAEP+, and piloting Opportunity Finder for community energy and NHS trusts and releasing our first-ever fully machine-readable Long Term Development Statement (LTDS)
Customer case studies
Building confidence in flexibility through daily dispatch data and customer case studies
Flexibility market development
Our support to flexibility market development
Saving customers money
Promoting flexibility to 50,000 households and delivering our first ever 100% low carbon flexibility tender with the vast majority coming from domestic households
Growing the flexibility market
Demonstrating industry leadership in flexibility, growing number of active market participants from 17 to 27 and dispatching more than 13GWh of flexibility in 2025-26 through more than 15,000 dispatches
New use cases for flexibility
Developing new use cases for flexibility, piloting its use for voltage management to help local neighbourhoods connect more electric vehicles (EVs)
Supporting local authorities
Supporting local authorities to participate in flexibility through launching a Flexibility Guide for local authorities in partnership with UK100 and the Association for Decentralised Energy, and hosting a webinar to help local authorities build capacity to enable them to participate.
Decision-making
Our decision-making framework
The first separate DSO
Launching the first legally separate DSO
Independent supervision
Our independent Supervisory Board scrutinising £127m of investment decisions, approving market testing of £127m, ensuring we proactively provide network capacity efficiently through flexibility and network upgrades
Capacity transparency
Transparency on delivering capacity through our annual Distribution Network Options Assessment (DNOA)
Dedicated operations team
Dedicated operations team based in DNO control room to ensure decisions taken in best interests of network and customers
Delivering long-term green growth
Delivering the long-term green growth our customers and communities want by proactively engaging the Regional Energy Strategic Planner (RESP), leading to, NESO green-lighting 20 major strategic investments across our region
Network Planning
Our approach to network planning
Helping local authorities achieve Net Zero
Dedicated Local Net Zero team and named account managers to support all 133 local authorities in our regions to achieve Net Zero
Free tools & support
Enhancing LAEP+ that is free to use for all local authorities with new datasets, supporting the planning process for 131 councils, helping make data-driven choices for their communities. Making ChargePoint Navigator free to use for all local authorities and expanding it to provide an end-to-end platform for planning, rollout tracking and network connection, enabling EV charging where it is needed.
Shaping long-term network investment plans
Supporting 66 local authority plans, using the LAEP Support Framework and strong relationships to shape our long-term network investment plans
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