An economic evaluation of the Active Network Management scheme at the Dunbar GSP

Between 2012 and 2016, SP Energy networks and partners implemented an Active Network Management (ANM) scheme on the Dunbar Grid Supply Point (GSP) to enable four new projects, totalling 50MW of generation, to connect to an export constrained network, and one existing 48 MW windfarm to upgrade from its previous inter-trip constrained connection to an ANM flexible connection.

Regen was commissioned by SP Energy Networks to evaluate what the impact of the ANM scheme had been on the local economy and to explore how ANM could be used to greater effect in our networks as they evolve.

The implementation of ANM at Dunbar led to some clear economic and carbon benefits including:

• enabling total capital investment of an estimated £200m
• the creation of 56 FTE long term jobs
• £75k of community benefits funding per year
• an estimated carbon saving of 98 thousand tonnes.

“Our evaluation clearly shows that ANM is a valuable tool to allow distribution networks to accelerate the deployment of renewable generation in capacity constrained areas, and to unlock the associated carbon savings and economic benefits of these projects. The Dunbar ANM scheme has also made a significant contribution to the continued innovation and development of ANM technologies and processes. ANM based approaches, working alongside other sources of flexibility, could now play an important role to achieve net zero if networks are enabled to take a more proactive role to make strategic network investment.”

Tim Crook, project manager and report author, Regen

“Scotland is currently hosting one of the most important climate summits in recent years. It has given us a stage to show all the work we have done already to move towards net zero and show our commitment to reaching our climate change targets at the pace and scale truly needed.

Our electricity networks are at the heart of this climate ambition; they support the growth of renewables as well as the increase of electric heating and transport. It’s our job to ensure that we are constantly innovating and investing in our network to make sure it stands ready to support the energy transition.

Active Network Management has proved to be an incredibly useful technology to use ahead of our planned multi-billion pound investment in our network to keep increasing the renewable generation Scotland needs. Not only that, but we are proud to be able to show that it can bring significant socio-economic benefits to both the country and directly to the communities it operates in.”

Scott Mathieson, network planning and regulation director, SP Energy Networks

“We were pleased to work with SP Energy networks and their customers in the Dunbar and Berwick areas to deploy our Active Network Management technology to solve the grid capacity challenges there.  It is, therefore, very pleasing to see this evaluation of the many different benefits by Regen.

“Network flexibility in general, but this ANM approach to flexible generator connections in particular, provides the foundation for quicker and less expensive development of clean energy.  Speed, scale, stakeholder inclusivity and cost-effectiveness are all clearly important in the context of the enormous climate challenge we all now face.

“This Dunbar ANM project, and the evidence of positive impact now captured in this report, point the way forward to massive scale clean energy development in accelerated timeframes with benefits to a wide set of stakeholders.  We are also pleased to be working with SP Energy Networks to roll-out this approach to other network areas and also use the same underlying technology to solve other network challenges.”

Euan Davidson, chief technology officer, and the force behind the application of Smarter Grid Solutions ANM in this project