21 September

8:45 am

Registration, networking and exhibition

9:15 am

Introduction from conference chair

Speaker

9:20 am

THE ENERGY SECTOR LANDSCAPE: REGULATION, INNOVATION & ASSET INVESTMENT

9:20 am

Ofgem’s role in enabling low carbon infrastructure investment

  • How Ofgem’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Strategic Change Programme (LCI SCP) is supporting the energy industry’s transition to net zero
  • Change programmes announced by Ofgem in its Forward Work Programme to enable investment in low carbon infrastructure at a fair price

Speaker

9:40 am

The revolution of the energy sector landscape

  • Recommendations for using data more effectively in the energy system
  • Learnings from rapid advances in tech and the emergence of new business models
  • Transforming the UK energy system to reach our clean growth ambitions

Speaker

10:00 am

A world first for transmission: National Grid’s power flow control valves to enhance network performance

  • Pushing the boundaries of innovation in network asset performance with power flow valves
  • The ability of current asset health and performance data to support true innovation

Speaker

  • Stewart Whyte

    Stewart Whyte
    Director network strategy and operations - National Grid

10:20 am

Panel discussion and questions: UK energy infrastructure that is fit for the future

  • Pathways towards net zero: short-term asset decisions to meet long-term goals
  • Meeting RIIO and NIA/NIC performance requirements
  • Making financial asset investment decisions now against unknown futures

Speakers

10:50 am

Refreshments, networking and exhibition

11:20 am

DATA-DRIVEN ASSET MANAGEMENT: OPTIMISING PERFORMANCE & MITIGATING RISK

11:20 am

Data interoperability and the net zero transition of assets

  • How to remove data silos and ensure accuracy and standardisation
  • The importance of data exchange between distribution system operators and transmission operators for net zero transition of assets

Speaker

  • Eric Brown

    Eric Brown
    Chief technology officer - Energy Systems Catapult

11:40 am

Decision Analytics for Critical Infrastructure

  • Direct your available funding and resources to the things that deliver the most value to your business
  • Understand the risk profile associated with your asset portfolio and how this will change over time
  • Demonstrate the business consequences of reducing – or increasing – your capital investment or maintenance budgets
  • Justify your planned asset expenditures to external stakeholders
  • Identify which projects to defer when there are funding or cash flow constraints

Speaker

11:55 am

Open energy: what shared data means for energy networks

  • What can we learn from open banking and other sectors and industries where digitalisation has unlocked innovation?
  • What to expect from open energy: managing risk and threats to assets
  • How data helps manage climate risk and makes net zero assets possible

Speaker

12:15 pm

Questions and answers

12:30 pm

WORKSHOP: Tackling the open energy data challenge

  • Managing risks and threats associated with open data
  • Achieving higher standards for data quality and consistency
  • Reaching a common understanding of data definitions and categorisation
  • Understanding what type of data to make open
  • Open energy data to drive towards decarbonisation
  • Cultural challenges with open data in risk adverse industries

    • 15 min presentation followed by interactive workshop:

    Speaker

    • Matt Webb

      Matt Webb
      Head of enterprise data - UK Power Networks

    1:15 pm

    Lunch, networking and exhibition

    2:15 pm - 3:15 pm

    BREAKOUT SESSIONS

    Choose to attend either: 

    •  IMPROVING PERFORMANCE & FUTURE-PROOFING ASSETS – ELECTRICITY
    •  IMPROVING PERFORMANCE & FUTURE-PROOFING ASSETS – GAS

    GAS

    No silver bullets: How the gas industry is rising to the net zero challenge

    Vulnerable assets: understanding and responding to infrastructure damage

    • Innovative solutions for monitoring vulnerable underground energy infrastructure
    • Preventing strike incidents and infrastructure damage
    • Opportunities for greater visibility and control of assets

    Decarbonising Irish Gas Assets (in Scotland)

    • The scale of Republic of Ireland’s gas demand being transported through interconnectors from Scotland
    • How GNI meets the N-1 Security of Supply review when considered as a collective with the UK gas market
    • Assessing the technical routes to decarbonisation and the design of a multifaceted solution for the Scottish assets
      Bobby Gleeson, Head of asset management, Gas Networks Ireland

    ELECTRICITY

    Low visibility assets: using data to determine asset health of aging infrastructure

    • Working with historical data and using data analytics to improve asset data quality
    • UK Power Network’s approach for using learning from McClaren F1 and the UK Water Sector to create an over constrained model for predicting capacity and utilisation at LV secondary sub stations.
      Alex Mahon, Head of analytics, UK Power Networks

    Paris to Perth: decarbonising the north of Scotland transmission network on the net zero pathway

    • Adopting a Science Based Target to reduce our business greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1, 2 and 3)
    • “Greener Grid” technology investments to reduce the use of SF6 gas in our substations
      Installing charging infrastructure to meet our EV100 commitment
      Alex Sutton, Chief sustainability officer, SSEN

    Full chain flexibility: overcoming challenges imposed on existing assets

    • What demands will full chain flexibility impose on the existing asset base.
    • How new tariffs on the market impact network asset design assumptions
    • Overcoming the challenges of unmanaged flexibility on assets and the regulation in place
    • Is there sufficient asset/system intelligence in place today to support full chain flexibility?
      Farina Farrier, Head of open networks, Energy Networks Association

    DRIVING INNOVATION TO BUILD RESILIENCE & REACH CLEAN GROWTH AMBITIONS

    3:45 pm

    A framework for climate adaptation and the electricity distribution network

    • Understanding the impact of weather on the ENW distribution network to support operational forecasting
    • Climate projections and future risk to distribution infrastructure
    • How can infrastructure owners and operators be resilient to changes in climate and identify vulnerability and risk to assets

    Speakers

    4:05 pm

    Questions and answers

    4:10 pm

    Panel discussion: decarbonising assets now against regulatory pressures and uncertain futures

    • Meeting ambitious industry goals: how to adapt asset strategy around net zero goals and regulatory pressures
    • The need for fresh thinking and innovation to reduce footprint and visual impact of new assets
    • Accurately quantifying embodied carbon in assets
    • Accounting for the carbon impacts on a rapidly digitalising asset base.
    • What policy decisions are required to prepare for a hydrogen transition? Are the right regulatory frameworks in place?

    Speakers

    4:40 pm

    Closing remarks from conference chair

    Speaker

    4:45 pm

    Close of the 2021 Utility Week Network Asset Performance Conference