FLEX

Flexibility

Welcome to NIE Networks’ Flexibility page where you will find important information relating to the FLEX project and procurement of Flexibility services.

We’ve published our Flexibility Procurement Statement which sets out the principles and criterion we use to procure flexibility services. Read our Flexibility Procurement Statement here.

Our first ever Flexibility services tender.

We tendered for Flexibility services for the period 2021 - 2022 potentially extending out to 2024. We published our requirements on Piclo illustrated on the map below and detailed in our Competitions Requirements documentation.

We sought a total 40 MW, 35 GWh of network Flexibility services across our 17 Flexibility Trial Zones, representing 15% of all customers in Northern Ireland. We will publish the tender results shortly.

• View our interactive Flexibility Map

We hosted a FLEX Webinar on Monday 15 February 2021 which you can watch again and download the slides below. We also have our Q&A session questions and details responses.

For enquiries or to receive key tender and project updates, email flexibility@nienetworks.co.uk.

We've published our Flexibility Products Specification and Competition Requirements documents, available to download at the links below.

Download our Flexibility Trial Zones to use with your GIS package (shapefile format):

Flexibility & NIE Networks

To meet our evolving customer needs, we are developing smarter, more flexible network solutions to help reduce the need for traditional reinforcement and costs for our customers.

We recognise that resources connected to our networks could provide services to assist in key areas that have specific challenges during periods of network congestion.

So we are exploring markets for flexibility with new and existing customers who are able and willing to control how much they generate or consume.

Our FLEX project (formerly called Demand Side Response) is delivering this tender with these key objectives:

• Evaluate local markets for Flexibility in our Flexibility Trial Zones, identifying the availability of flexible assets and understanding their capabilities.
• Develop the end to end process for procuring and operating Flexibility including the technical and commercial structures.
• Identify any conflicts with other revenue streams and promote stacking.
• Evaluate the viability of using flexibility to meet network requirements and the financial benefits to the Northern Ireland customer.

Benefits

Flexibility has the potential to:

• Reduce the need in some areas for costly, traditional network reinforcement.
• Allow consumers to capitalise on the opportunities arising from a transition to a smarter grid and participate in the low carbon future.
• Assist Distribution Network Owners (DNOs) to transition to Distribution System Operators (DSOs) allowing us to plan and operate our networks more dynamically to meet changing customer needs.