Where Our Energy Comes From news from 2022
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- December 2022
SSEN appoints Freedom Group of Companies Ltd as design and build contractor for £41 million programme
SSEN Distribution has appointed the Freedom Group of Companies Ltd as design and build contractor for 12 network investment projects worth £41 million, with construction due to start in January 2023.
SSEN reports multi-million pound upgrade to North Acton electricity network
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks has announced a multi-million pound upgrade to the electricity network serving North Acton, published on 13 December 2022.
ESO puts two coal power stations on stand-by amid low wind, solar and freezing temperatures
National Grid ESO placed two UK coal power stations on stand-by to help manage demand during a winter of low wind and solar generation and freezing temperatures.
Final decision on 20 per cent hydrogen grid blending by end of next year
The government has said it will decide by the end of 2023 whether to blend up to 20 per cent hydrogen into the natural gas grid, under the British Energy Security Strategy.
Holistic Network Design and Centralised Strategic Network Plan blueprint due by end of 2022
The government's British Energy Security Strategy, published in April 2022, set out a blueprint for the whole energy system by the end of 2022 through the Holistic Network Design and Centralised Strategic Network Plan.
- November 2022
CfD Allocation Round 4 secures 11GW of new wind and solar at record low offshore wind prices
Analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit finds the gas crisis will add £4,400 to the average household energy bill by April 2024, as Contracts for Difference auctions secure 11GW of new wind and solar.
Demand Flexibility Service launched
The Demand Flexibility Service, which pays households to cut electricity use at peak times, launched for winter 2022/23 after Ofgem approval, with 1.6 million homes and businesses taking part in its first season.
ECIU analysis finds UK gas imports could have been cut by a fifth with Estonian heat pump deployment rates
Analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit finds that matching Estonia's heat pump installation rate would have cut UK domestic gas use by 34% and gas imports by 19% in 2021.
- October 2022
CfD portfolio to start reducing consumer bills from October
Contracts for difference are set to turn negative from October, meaning low-carbon generators pay money back when electricity prices are very high, reducing consumer energy costs.
Price cap forecast raised to around £3,000 due to Ukraine conflict
Forecasts for the October 2022 energy price cap rose from £2,400 to around £3,000 after the conflict in Ukraine pushed up global gas prices, the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit said.
SSEN announces VFES project to embed vulnerability features into network planning
SSEN Distribution has announced a £144,000 project to build forecasts of customer vulnerability into its network planning, with a report due in early 2023.
- September 2022
Energy Markets Financing Scheme announced jointly by HM Treasury and Bank of England
HM Treasury and the Bank of England have announced a joint Energy Markets Financing Scheme to address liquidity requirements faced by energy firms in UK wholesale gas and electricity markets, designed as a last resort.
Mini-Budget ends effective ban on onshore wind in England
The Chancellor's mini-Budget of September 2022 ended the effective ban on building onshore wind in England and added GBP1bn to a scheme that installs energy saving measures in fuel poor homes.
SSEN invests £6.8m to refurbish Dorset overhead network
SSEN has begun a 55-week, £6.8 million refurbishment of the overhead electricity network from Poole through Blandford Forum to the edge of Yeovil, due for completion in August 2023.
- August 2022
SSEN reports progress on £14.2m North West Highland network upgrade
SSEN Distribution says 200 new poles and 13km of overhead lines are in place between Slattadale and Ullapool as part of a £14.2m North West Highland network upgrade due for completion in March 2023.
Nord Stream 1 pipeline closed
Russian gas flows to Europe continued until the Nord Stream 1 pipeline closed in August 2022, six months after the invasion of Ukraine, leaving Europe unable to refill storage with Russian gas.
- July 2022
Ember analysis attributes 80% of UK wholesale electricity price rise to fossil gas
Ember analysis finds fossil gas caused 80 per cent of the rise in UK wholesale electricity prices between July 2021 and June 2022, with gas adding £93/MWh to a £120/MWh increase.
Mitchell & Webber calls for government backing of HVO as oil heating alternative
Cornish oil supplier Mitchell & Webber has converted more than 50 oil-fired appliances to hydro-treated vegetable oil since 2020 and is calling for government backing of a national HVO demonstration.
SSEN and Icebreaker One announce partnership to deliver net zero through better data
SSEN Distribution and the not-for-profit Icebreaker One have begun a partnership to build data-sharing systems intended to support the net zero transition and the rollout of electric vehicle charge points.
- June 2022
SSEN completes Automated Power Restoration System project in Oxfordshire
SSEN has completed a nine month project costing nearly £176,000 to install automated technology that can restore power to more than 150,000 Oxfordshire customers in under three minutes.
SSEN publishes Whole System Register to build cross-sector collaboration
SSEN Distribution has published a Whole System Register listing its innovation and business as usual activities for net zero, with annual updates and a feedback section for stakeholders.
UK government publishes Storm Arwen action plan ordering network operators to improve storm responses
The UK government has published an action plan ordering electricity distribution network operators to improve storm resilience, communications and compensation after Storm Arwen left around one million households without power.
Ofgem confirms CfD allowance methodology from cap period nine onwards
Ofgem has confirmed how the Contracts for Difference allowance inside the default tariff cap will be calculated from cap period nine, removing the £0/MWh floor that stopped negative scheme costs reaching household bills.
SSEN commits funding to strengthen network and community resilience after Storm Arwen
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks has applied to Ofgem for £10m of dedicated funding for five projects intended to improve its storm response, after earlier resilience spending committed in summer 2022.
- May 2022
SSEN completes £4.6 million Dorset network upgrade
SSEN has completed a £4.6 million upgrade to a 32 kilometre electricity circuit serving Poole and Shaftesbury in Dorset, which it says strengthens supplies to around 160,000 homes and businesses.
SSEN launches LCT Connections tool in industry first
SSEN Distribution has launched an online tool that gives automatic quotes for connecting low carbon technologies such as electric vehicles and heat pumps, the first DNO to offer spreadsheet uploads.
- April 2022
SSEN completes £1.7 million Portsmouth infrastructure upgrade
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks has completed a £1.7 million upgrade to part of Portsmouth's electricity network, replacing grid transformers and equipment serving thousands of customers.
Civil nuclear deployment ambition raised to up to 24GW by 2050
The government has raised its civil nuclear deployment ambition to up to 24GW by 2050, three times current capacity and up to a quarter of projected electricity demand.
Conservative government launches REMA electricity market review
The Conservative government launched a review of electricity market arrangements in April 2022, with a first consultation that July, examining the rules that set wholesale power prices.
- March 2022
SSEN announces £10m upgrade to Islay electricity network
SSEN Distribution has confirmed a £10m project to upgrade the electricity network on Islay, with construction starting in mid-April and work due to last 12 months.
SSEN publishes first DSO Action Plan
SSEN Distribution has published its first DSO Action Plan, covering flexibility products, markets and connections over an initial two-year period, with £73m of investment planned to 2028.
E3G publishes briefing on replacing Russian gas at speed
E3G has published a briefing arguing that energy efficiency, clean heat and renewables could by 2025 replace four times the gas the UK imports from Russia, faster than new oil and gas fields can be built.
geo and Vaillant white paper warns lack of appliance interoperability could cost billions in energy savings
A white paper from geo and Vaillant warns that without common standards for heat pumps, EV chargers and appliances, households could lose billions in energy savings by 2050.
Helicopter airlift delivers materials for Aultbea-Ullapool network upgrade
SSEN Distribution has airlifted 162 wooden poles and overhead line equipment by helicopter along an 18km route between Slattadale and Aultbea as part of a £14.2m network upgrade in the North West Highlands.
Russia threatens to close major gas pipeline to Europe
Russia has threatened to close a major gas pipeline to Europe in retaliation for countries considering bans on Russian oil imports, a move that could raise prices even in countries that use little Russian gas.
SSEN begins £2.49 million infrastructure upgrade in Bournemouth
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks has started a £2.49 million project to replace underground cables between two Bournemouth substations, serving 11,500 customers in the Victoria Park area.
- February 2022
Russia launches full-scale invasion of Ukraine
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 pushed oil above $100 a barrel and raised European gas prices by 50%, setting off the sharpest period of UK household energy bill rises in decades.
Red Met Office warning issued for Storm Eunice as energy networks prepare
The Met Office issued a rare red weather warning for parts of south west England and south Wales as energy network operators moved staff and equipment into position ahead of Storm Eunice.
SSEN restores all reported faults after Storms Malik and Corrie
SSEN has restored all reported customer faults after Storms Malik and Corrie, reconnecting more than 120,000 homes in the north of Scotland following gusts of over 90mph.
UK Power Networks prepares for Storms Dudley and Eunice
UK Power Networks has put more than 100 engineering teams on duty from tonight as Storm Dudley arrives, with winds of up to 90mph forecast from Storm Eunice on Friday.
Russia and China sign $117.5bn oil and gas deals
Three weeks before invading Ukraine, Russia and China signed oil and gas deals worth an estimated $117.5bn, including a 30-year gas contract raising supply to China by a quarter.
Russia invades Ukraine, disrupting global energy markets
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 disrupted global energy markets and added uncertainty to European gas supply, deepening a price crisis that had begun in 2021.
- January 2022
Crowdflex study finds domestic flexibility could cut peak demand by up to 23 percent
A study of 25,000 households by SSEN, National Grid ESO, Octopus Energy and Ohme found that homes on time-of-use tariffs cut evening peak demand by 15 to 17 percent, with electric vehicle owners reaching 23 percent.