Energy regulator Ofgem has agreed £166,278 of innovation funding for Southern Gas Networks for a project that would speed up connections by mapping new high electricity demand customers (potentially including heavy vehicle charging centres) and using small gas power plants, fuelled from existing gas networks, to meet their need.
The ‘Non Data Centres Large Demand Mapping’ project was funded via Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), intended to help meet the challenges of the energy transition.
The project application said it would improve forecasting and planning for new high-demand sites, which can face grid connection delays of over 10 years, “due to overloaded electricity networks which are struggling to keep up with growing demand”. It said “Gas networks could help bridge this gap by supplying gas-to-power solutions to support critical areas sooner.” It added, “Knowing where and when demand will arise will help gas networks target investment, support electricity networks in offering alternatives, and allow energy users faster access to power. In this way, gas networks can play a key role in getting large energy users the power they need, when they need it.”
The project won innovation funding innovation because it introduces a new service model in which gas distribution networks (GDNs) collaborate with electricity distribution network operators (DNOs) to provide gas-to-power solutions for large electricity users, which “represents a novel role for GDNs and requires new forms of whole-system coordination, commercial arrangements, and technical integration”.
The outcome should be a tool that can be used across the industry, and a roll-out would be considered as part of a commercialisation strategy, to be considered in future phases of the innovation funding.
The project team plans to engage a range of stakeholders, including local authorities, planners, market experts and DNOs, during the research phase.
