National Grid Electricity Distribution, in collaboration with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Advanced Infrastructure, has received £558,491 in funding to enhance regional energy planning for achieving net zero emissions.

The project, known as Project PRIDE (Planning Regional Infrastructure in a Digital Environment), will leverage a single digital platform to bring together key stakeholders and relevant datasets.

Of the total funding, £499,874 is provided by Ofgem‘s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), managed in partnership with Innovate UK, with the remainder coming from project partners.

Project PRIDE is part of Ofgem’s round two alpha projects, aimed at expediting the decarbonisation of major energy demands.

In an earlier phase, Project PRIDE was approved for the round two Discovery phase, which explored various use cases and governance structures for a virtual Regional System Planner and the associated datasets and models needed to address these issues.

Jenny Woodruff, Innovation Manager at National Grid Electricity Distribution, said: “By sharing data, we can work even more closely together to help deliver Local Area Energy Plans, reducing cost and timescales, and ensuring the electricity network is ready ahead of need to ensure a cleaner and fairer energy future for all.”

Cheryl Hiles, Director at Energy Capital, West Midlands Combined Authority, said: “We are delighted that Project PRIDE will be tested and delivered in the West Midlands.

“It will help the region develop a cost-effective way to produce local area energy plans with our local authorities and other partners, while also providing Ofgem and network operators with valuable insights into how the future energy system can work more effectively to meet the diverse needs of our businesses and communities.”

Article source: https://www.energylivenews.com/2023/11/03/national-grid-advances-west-midlands-net-zero-project/