Electricity North West has achieved a significant milestone with the successful live demonstration of its Active Network Management (ANM) system.
This accomplishment paves the way for streamlined connection processes and enhanced network management capabilities set to launch in the first quarter of 2025.
The implementation ANM in the North West of England is pivotal in Electricity North West's Distribution System Operation transition, enabling the optimised use of paid flexible services, Electricity North West-owned network assets, and flexible connections under distribution network constraints.
In collaboration with Schneider Electric, Electricity North West's ANM system is the market-leading network constraint manager, seamlessly integrated into the existing Network Management System (NMS).
By harnessing a real-time network topology model, the ANM system eliminates communication latencies, delivering efficient instructions and maximising the use of Distributed Energy Resources while preserving existing network assets.
Furthermore, the Electricity North West's centralised and region-wide ANM system allows for seamless scalability with lower additional costs to system users, ensuring a cost-effective and user-friendly solution for network management.
This groundbreaking system is poised to accelerate connections, that might have otherwise needed to wait for network reinforcement. Having ANM capability across the network is a key enabler of the North West’s electrification of heat and transport, accelerating the integration of low-carbon generation connected to the distribution network.
Ben Grunfeld, strategy and growth director at Electricity North West said: "Successfully testing the ANM system signals a significant milestone in our journey towards net zero in the North West and our transition to DSO . This system will unlock network capacity, facilitating the integration of renewable generation, electric vehicles, and heat pumps. "
Through strategic partnerships with GB Distribution Network Operators, National Grid Transmission, The National Energy System Operator, and Ofgem, Electricity North West has spearheaded initiatives to leverage distribution ANM systems to resolve constraints on transmission networks. An estimated 1.8GW of connection schemes in the North West are set for acceleration, potentially advancing projects by up to a decade.
