SP Electricity North West’s significant milestone with the successful connection of its first customer to its new real-time Active Network Management (ANM) system is set to transform how renewable energy projects connect to the grid.
This innovative approach delivers faster, more cost-effective solutions while supporting the UK’s transition to a low-carbon future.
The first connection - a 30MW operational battery site in Wigan - was completed without the need for network reinforcements and has already saved 84.76 MWh of unneeded energy, enough to power more than 17,000 televisions for a full day.
By agreeing to connect via ANM, the customer benefits from a faster connection to the grid and significant cost savings, while supporting network stability by agreeing to temporary import limits during peak periods.
Paul Auckland, Head of Distribution System Operation at SP Electricity North West said: “The go-live of ANM with our first customer in the North West is an exciting step demonstrating SP Electricity North West’s continued progress in advancing Distribution System Operation.
“ANM accelerates connections that would otherwise need to wait for reinforcement, enabling cleaner energy projects, such as renewables, to come online sooner and supporting the growth of flexibility services, facilitating greener growth in the region.”
ANM works by using real-time data to continuously monitor network limits and automatically manages (curtails) the batteries’ import power when a network constraint is detected, ensuring safe and reliable network operation during periods of peak use or due to abnormal network stress.
The innovative system delivers unmatched efficiency, scalability, robustness, and fairness as it combines ANM and Network Management System (NMS) functionality into a single real-time topology for streamlined operations. This leads to increased efficiency, better control and lower risk of data loss.
Paul Auckland added: “We’re proud to be raising the bar for cost-effectiveness, transparency, and operational excellence through our industry-leading ANM.”
Unlike traditional tactical approaches tied to individual grid supply points, ANM enables rapid mass scaling in days. Automation of all actions and commissioning ensures reliability, and reduces human error, while optimisation strategies release additional capacity at zero cost to customers, minimising unnecessary dispatch/curtailment.
ANM also maximises the use or Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) ensuring fairer, transparent and more equitable curtailment across customers.
