RED-Flex (Rapid, Everywhere, Dependable Flexibility) will develop the technical, operational, commercial and regulatory evidence required to determine whether a Flexibility of Last Resort (FoLR) service could improve confidence in the dependable delivery of flexibility within electricity distribution networks. It will investigate whether a dependable fallback flexibility capability can provide an additional layer of operational resilience by supporting existing flexibility markets where contracted flexibility is unavailable or insufficient  

The project will initially focus on the water sector, working collaboratively with participating water companies to assess the technical, operational and commercial feasibility of providing dependable flexibility from water assets.

Benefits

​​RED-Flex has the potential to deliver customer, financial, operational, environmental and wider industry benefits by developing the evidence required to improve confidence in the dependable delivery of flexibility services. 
 
From a customer perspective, the project will assess how increased confidence in dependable flexibility could support more efficient use of existing network capacity, facilitating lower-cost and potentially faster connections for low-carbon technologies while maintaining network security and resilience. 
 
The project will quantify the potential financial benefits through reduced flexibility over-procurement, more targeted network reinforcement decisions and improved utilisation of existing assets. Initial high-level analysis indicates potential benefits of approximately £4.3 million per annum across Great Britain, including around £1.3 million per annum within NGED. These estimates will be validated and refined through the project’s Cost Benefit Analysis, which will inform any future investment decision. 
 
The principal operational benefit of RED-Flex is the development of the technical, operational, commercial and regulatory evidence required to determine whether a Flexibility of Last Resort capability can provide a dependable fallback layer behind existing flexibility markets. This evidence will support future decisions on operational demonstrations and potential deployment. 
 
Non-financial benefits include improved understanding of dependable flexibility services, strengthened collaboration between electricity networks and the water sector, regulatory learning, and the development of a transferable service model that could be applied across other sectors and GB electricity network operators. 
 
From an environmental perspective, the project will assess how greater confidence in the dependable use of flexibility could help defer or reduce network reinforcement, maximise utilisation of existing infrastructure and support the integration of low-carbon technologies, contributing to the transition to a net zero energy system.​