Project Summary
REACT is fully aligned with SIF Challenge 3 Scope 2, which aims to strengthen the UK's energy system robustness to support efficient roll out of new infrastructure.
REACT is an innovative tool that will provide the ability to visualise connection requests in real-time, outline the impact they have on the grid and provide the optimal location to site connections on the network.
This will help manage the large increase in connection requests expected on the network by allowing developers to review the impact of their request and identify alternative solutions, saving time and resources. This will prevent the network from becoming overloaded, as each connection will be placed strategically, in turn helping improve the system's ability to withstand shocks.
Innovation Justification
Connection requests are currently assessed individually over a 60-day-period.
Within this time, the connections team determine what work is required, what assets need built and the timescales and costs. The time pressure of this process limits the ability to be strategic with new connections.
REACT would address these issues by providing a dynamic view of all forecasted connection requests and accelerate the uptake of demand and generation technologies by highlighting the optimal locations to site projects (Appendix_Q4_Project Approach_REACT).
REACT is an interactive tool with two key components:
1. The spatial planning tool will incorporate the current and future power and gas infrastructure, allowing users to understand alternative grid connections and optimise the location of future developments. This requires the aggregation and integration of multiple spatial datasets, including new data for early-stage projects and online measuring tools to quickly screen cable routes and profiles.
2. The power flow modelling tool will approximate the impact and feasibility of connections prior to application. As connection requests to the network increase, the power flows on the system are continuously changing. Developing a tool that can interpret the power flow modelling data alongside the spatial planning data will provide an innovative way of assessing connection requests.
Project Benefits
REACT will deliver the following net benefits to consumers:
Financial - Cost savings for users of network services
Significant interest to connect hydrogen electrolysis sites to the SSEN-T Network has resulted in multi-million-pound connection offers being made to developers due to the capacity requested and limited availability on the network. These requests would require costly reinforcement of the network, which would slow down the energy transition and increase consumers bills. Offering the tool to developers before they submit requests could deliver large savings by providing alternative locations to site their project on the existing network with more capacity. REACT will also save time and resource by eliminating the need for developer pre-application calls by providing them with all the information they need prior to the application. These calls cost approximately £6.3Kpa and will increase as connection requests rise. We'll review the savings on project development, pre-application costs and Transmission Network Use of System charges throughout the Project.
Environmental - Direct CO2 savings p.a against a business-as-usual counterfactual REACT will reduce the carbon emissions of building new infrastructure which would be required for the increase in connection requests. By utilising the existing network where possible, REACT will deliver direct environmental benefits. Environmental - Indirect CO2 savings p.a against a BaU counterfactual Carbon reductions will be investigated to identify the amount saved through reducing the delivery delays of hydrogen projects, while taking into consideration the ESO's and SSEN-T's North of Scotland future energy scenarios.
New to market - products, processes, and services REACT is new to the market and will combine power flow modelling and spatial planning tool, making it a unique innovation. The license would be jointly owned by the developing parties (SSEN-T, Olsights, Mapstand) during the SIF staged process. As the tool developer, Olsights would administer license agreement on behalf of the joint owners. Licensees would enjoy commercial use of the tool, either as an adapted version for their own jurisdictions or as part of a broader
software package. The SME partners could see significant business-growth if this tool is rolled-out across the industry. Power Engineering International stated that 17,000 green jobs can be created in Britain if planned investments in hydrogen projects are implemented. By combining multiple processes into one, REACT will streamline the connections process and provide quicker results for developers, in
turn accelerating the uptake of renewable technologies and supporting the rise in green jobs across GB.
Learnings
Impacts And Benefits
REACT will deliver the following net benefits to consumers:
Financial - Cost savings for users of network services
High demand for grid connections, such as large-scale hydrogen electrolysers and generation assets, has resulted in expensive connection offers being made to developers, many of which have long lead times. This is due to the large volumes of capacity requested and limited availability on the network. Many incoming requests trigger costly reinforcement work of the network, which delays the connection of these developments, thereby slowing down the energy transition and increasing consumer bills.
REACT’s pre-application tool will give developers increased early network insights and visibility of optimal network connection points for these sites, which could deliver large cost and time savings. Providing a more up-to-date integrated view of all potential network connection requests will be an enabler for improving the efficiency of the network, and provide the opportunity to reduce system constraints, curtailments, and TNUoS (Transmission Network Use of System) charges. Total annual cost avoidance is projected to average £20.8M in the period 2024 to 2031. In addition, early visibility of this holistic and comprehensive view will allow for more streamlined pre-application discussions between developers, the ESO, and the TO, resulting in time and resource savings for the developer and SSEN-T and reducing the risk of repeat applications.
Environmental - Direct CO2 savings per annum against a business-as-usual counterfactual
REACT will reduce the carbon emissions of building new infrastructure which would be required for the increase in connection requests. By utilising the existing network in a more optimal way, for example, exploiting locations of spare capacity or low constraint, REACT will deliver direct environmental benefits.
Environmental - Indirect CO2 savings per annum against a BaU counterfactual
Carbon reductions will be investigated to identify the amount saved through reducing the delivery delays of hydrogen and other projects while taking into consideration the ESO's and SSEN-T's North of Scotland future energy scenarios.
New connection requests are currently subject to long lead times, due to the large volume of applications being processed, as well as the increasing need for network reinforcements. By providing a combined geospatial and power systems view – enabling developers to submit targeted applications considering both technology-specific land requirements as well as optimal grid connection points – the tool will help limit the volume of application requests as well as reduce the need for network reinforcement. Furthermore, the strategic planning insight provided by the tool will reduce the hurdle to market for new hydrogen and other developers entering the market. These factors will accelerate the connection process for key developments needed to achieve a timely Net Zero transition.
New to market - products, processes, and services
REACT is new to the market and will combine power flow modelling and spatial planning tool, making it a unique innovation. The license would be jointly owned by the developing parties during the SIF process. As the tool developer, Olsights would administer license agreements on behalf of the joint owners. Licensees would enjoy commercial use of the tool, either as an adapted version for their own jurisdictions or as part of a broader software package. The SME partners (Olsights, and MapStand) could see significant business growth if this tool is rolled out across the industry. By combining multiple processes (spatial planning and power flow modeling) into one, REACT will streamline the connections process and provide quicker results for developers, in turn accelerating the uptake of renewable technologies and supporting the rise in green jobs across GB.
