Our mission is to continue accelerating the DSO transition by: 

  • Creating the capacity customers need to transition to net zero 
  • Enabling an easy-to-understand, accessible system that encourages everyone who wants to, to get involved. 
  • Using Flexibility Services to enable faster connections.  
  • Responding to immediate and emerging network needs quickly and innovatively.  

Our focus areas

  • We’re planning our networks for the long-term, taking the right steps at the moment to proactively and efficiently release capacity. 
  • We’re deploying our DSO toolkit, of strategic investment, access products and Flexibility Services.  
  • We’re demonstrating the effectiveness of our decision-making processes and how we ensure transparency. 
  • We’re giving access to transparent and accessible real-time data to enable whole-systems coordination. 

Our 3-year plan

Our focus for the first 3 years of the current ED2 price control period, is to make changes and improvements quickly, while implementing the long-term programmes that will build essential new capabilities and systems.

This will see us working on long-term network design, and immediate capacity release through flexibility and strategic investment. We'll prioritise engagment in the communities hosting network improvements. 

To achieve all this, we’ve set out a 3-year plan, which focuses on:  

  • Making real-time, granular network data and decision-making transparent to support coordination, further innovation, and trust in the industry.
  • Providing sector-leading support for communities to help get to net zero, developing the strategic plans to release further capacity, before it's needed.
  • Continuing to adopt a Flexibility First Approach, making participation in Flex markets more straightforward and transparent, through the publication of our product roadmap, and by our use of a third-party market platform to support procurement growth, in coordination with the national system operator.
  • Ensuring inclusion, fairness, and transparency in the flexibility market, particularly for smaller businesses and vulnerable customers.

Our achievements so far 

More flexibility procured – we’ve procured over 700MW of Flexibility in 2023/24.  In January and February 2024 alone, 433.6 MW of volume was contracted. This is equivalent to the electricity that could power more than 350,000 homes.   

New connections progressed – we’ve unlocked 7GW of additional capacity through the technical limits programme and ramping of new connections.  

Data harnessed – we're the first network operator to publish full half-hourly smart meter data consumption datasets.  This development means electricity demand can be modelled with greater accuracy and efficiency, which is critical in developing a fit-for-purpose future system. 

Local energy planning – we've launched our Local Energy Net Zero Accelerator (LENZA) tool, which gives local authorities the visibility they need to make well-informed planning decisions, taking into account electricity usage patterns in a given area.  

New Net Zero experts – We’ve appointed 12 Net Zero Advisors to support the development of Local Area Energy Plans across the communities we serve. 

Vulnerable people protected – We’re the first network operator to enshrine care for our most vulnerable customers in our plans for the future electricity system.