Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has opened its latest flexibility auction and announced a major funding boost for its network in Scotland.
SSEN has opened an availability window for energy aggregators, asset owners and energy suppliers to sign a contract to enable them to participate in all future bidding rounds. Between now and 23 April 2025, eligible participants will be able to secure their ability to participate in the next flexibility bidding round, which is expected to start in May.
The long-term bidding round set to open next month is expected to have participants bidding to cover requirements in 76 different areas across both SSEN’s North and South network areas.
Last summer, SSEN partnered with energy technology firm Electron to use the ElectronConnect flexibility market platform, a move which SSEN says has helped to streamline the market entry process for flexibility service providers. After signing an agreement in May of last year, the platform was formally adopted in August, at the same time that SSEN opened a new round of flexibility auctions.
Flexibility market manager Catherine Winning said that SSEN was pleased with the developments made to its flex services in the past year, explaining: “This development allows different approaches to participate at different times with both long- and short-term markets being available in different locations.”
Major funding boost for Scotland
Meanwhile, SSEN Distribution is set to invest nearly half a billion pounds in improving electricity networks in the North of Scotland.
The £450 million investment will be spread across nine sub-regions in the North of Scotland in an effort to boost network resilience. The improvements will see the network of wooden transmission poles and overhead lines renewed and reinforced, underground networks improved and strengthened and updates made to local substations.
The upgrades will be delivered thanks to partnerships with five local companies: OCU Utility Services Ltd, Clancy Ltd, Freedom Group Ltd, Macaulay Askernish Ltd and the Brush Group, which includes KUS Power Engineering and the McGowan Group. The upgrades will be applied to a diverse range of localities, from cities to rural regions and all of Scotland’s islands.
SSEN’s director of large capital delivery, Fraser Hood, said the company was “proud” to have signed agreements to undertake this work.
“The transformative investment we’re making means we’re in the best-possible position to deliver an electricity system which will support sustainable economic growth, benefit the environment in the decades to come, and create significant job opportunities during construction in communities across the North of Scotland,” added Hood.
