A new programme led by ourselves, together with fellow Distribution Network Operators UK Power Networks and National Grid Electricity Distribution will make local energy planning faster, simpler and more effective for local authorities.
This work – undertaken in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council – takes a major step towards a more consistent, joined-up approach to planning the energy system that’s needed to decarbonise communities and businesses. It builds on work started during the Energy Networks Association’s Open Networks project in 2020 and recent joint DNO engagement.
A new era for Local Area Energy Planning
The project delivers a standardised framework for the exchange of information between networks and local authorities, including Local Area Energy Planning (LAEP) results. LAEPs provide a blueprint for local energy planning, giving utilities and local authorities a common roadmap that links planned development and ambitions for decarbonisation to future network investment.
It enables data to be shared in the same format to utilities regardless of which, or how many, networks serve the area. It will make the biggest difference for the 54 local authorities whose boundaries cross multiple networks, as they only need to share information once. This also removes the burden of working with different formats, structures and assumptions. The project also helps local authorities served by the three organisations to set out a clear format to share their plans to inform network investments.
Local authorities will no longer have to spend time and money sharing the same local data in different ways to networks requesting it. LAEP outcomes will now be shared and interpreted more quickly, helping councils to make decisions on heat, transport, and energy infrastructure planning more easily.
Standardised LAEP outputs will give system operators more consistent, higher-quality data to feed into key network planning and investment processes - such as Distribution Future Energy Scenarios (DFES) and Distribution Network Options Assessments (DNOA). Better forecasting leads to more efficient, targeted investment, helping to keep costs down for customers while ensuring networks are ready for increasing electrification.
The project demonstrates significant collaboration between multiple Distribution System Operators (DSOs), local authorities, and delivery partners ERM and Regen. Other DSOs have already expressed interest, indicating strong potential for national scalability.
Local Area Energy Plans in action across central southern England
The launch of this joint programme comes as another city in our central southern England network area takes a big step forward in planning for its decarbonised future.
Southampton City Council has now started work on a ‘Digital LAEP’ using SSEN’s LENZA (Local Energy Net Zero Accelerator programme) tool. LENZA, which is built on Advanced Infrastructure’s award-winning platform, provides a data-driven approach for local authorities and network operators to plan for a decarbonised future together.
This will give Southampton City Council a clearer understanding of how the city’s energy system needs to evolve to meet its ambitions, in a more affordable and efficient way than through traditional consultancy-led approaches.
Sarah Kerr, Energy Systems Lead at Oxfordshire County Council says:
“Local authorities like us rely on clear, consistent and high-quality data to deliver our net zero ambitions. This standardised template removes a major barrier for councils like ours that work with more than one DNO.
“It will save time and resources while giving us the confidence that our plans are fully aligned with regional and national energy needs. We welcome the collaborative approach taken and see real potential for the template to be adopted widely."
Andy Wainwright, Whole System Manager at Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution says:
“Collaborative working is essential in developing common solutions to deliver the decarbonisation of homes, transport and the economy in a way that works for local communities.
“This joint work with Oxfordshire County Council will improve its ability to provide local insights into DNO Forecasting processes. In turn, this will also enable DNOs to better develop their networks to meet future energy needs.
“We look forward to further working with partners on enhancements, including greater digitalisation.”
Lynne McDonald, Head of Local Net Zero at UK Power Networks says:
"This joint DSO initiative is a powerful example of sector-wide collaboration to make life simpler for local authorities. By standardising how councils can share their clean energy and growth data, we enable data to be “shared once” by our local authorities and then this data used by all local utilities.
“That means smarter, more efficient planning and investment decisions shaped by local needs - ultimately delivering benefits for every electricity customer."
Emily Taylor, Regional Decarbonisation Manager at National Grid DSO says:
“We’ve taken a major step with our fellow DSOs to create a common approach that makes sharing information simpler and quicker for local authorities. This means councils can provide their plans in a clear, consistent way, helping us design the electricity networks that communities need.
“We really value this collaborative way of working and are committed to continuing partnerships like this to deliver practical solutions that support our stakeholders.”