This research project will identify and quantify practices and work already undertaken by the GDNs and DNOs, both statutory (business as usual) and non-statutory (above and beyond), to support customers and communities. It will forecast short-term and long-term future risks to the resilience of communities, along with recommendations to ensure that networks are equipped to provide the most appropriate support for vulnerable members of society. This will include a range of scenarios, the future constellation of the energy system and possible future risks and recommendations for future regulation that would encourage collaboration across the energy sector.

Benefits

This is a research project and benefits are solely qualitative. These include:

·       Financial – Identify opportunities for partnerships between GDN’s, DNO’s and water utilities based on this research to recognise delivery of respective social obligations 

·       Health and safety – Integration with existing data systems to identify and respond to vulnerability under different scenarios

·       Customer - Trials preferred models to innovate, collaborate and coordinate so that assistance is better targeted to customers most in need. 

·       Community – Cross sector/utility partnership workings. Identifying wider community stakeholders through this research 

·       Carbon reduction – Help to ensure net zero transition is fair and just by accounting for vulnerabilities within multiple transition scenarios.