Flexibility Hub
Latest requirement
Our Spring 2024 tender is now live! We're seeking 486MW of flexible capacity across 29 locations in our region between 2024-28 with £7m revenue available.
Regional variation in the uptake of flexibility services
This collaborative report investigates the regional differences in using flexibility services for the electricity network in Great Britain.
Open Data Portal
Our flexible services requirements and reports are now available on our Open Data Portal to view and download in a variety of data formats including via API.
Frequently asked questions
Find out more about flexible services including technical requirements and how to participate by installing energy efficiency measures in our FAQs section.
Introduction to Flexible Services
When the demand for electricity in an area is greater than the amount that we are capable of providing, we can procure Flexible Services to manage constraints whilst ensuring our network remains resilient, reliable and meets customer's needs. There are many different factors that can lead to network constraints including large televised events, electric heating in winter and the uptake in Low Carbon Technologies (LCTs) such as electric vehicles, heat pumps and solar panels. Flexible Services can also be used to manage planned outages or disruptive failures, as an alternative to reinforcing the network which can be extremely costly, disruptive and time consuming as we upgrade assets across our region causing road closures and supply interruptions.
These services can be provided by companies or individual customers who own assets in our region such as generators, consumers or electricity storage connected to our network that can generate more or consume less when we ask them to, and receive payment from Electricity North West in return. We're now also proud to include Energy Efficiency Measures as part of our tenders; Participants can bid for multiple years of service by installing energy saving measures such as LED lighting, double glazed windows, and switching to more energy efficient appliances and heating systems to reduce their long term energy use.
Flexible services are a cheaper and faster way of balancing supply and demand on the network as they allow us to utilise our existing assets to make the most out of the capacity we already have, and the money we save on reinforcement is passed back to the customer through cheaper energy bills. By not having to install these large assets we can also help to reduce our carbon impact and support community groups and local businesses that are utilising LCTs to get involved within their local energy markets.
How to get involved
You could provide Flexible Services to the network and receive payment in return if:
- You're an existing metered customer or are interested in building a new flexible asset within an area we have a requirement;
- Capable of adjusting how much electricity you consume or generate;
- And can provide a minimum of 10kW of flexible capacity either individually or via an aggregator (aggregators combine load from multiple customers to provide flexible services).
To take part in our flexibility tenders please follow these steps:
- Create an account on either ElectronConnect or Piclo Max.
- Submit your Commercial Qualification application.
- Register your assets.
- Complete Technical Qualification by confirming the assets you wish to put forward in the competition.
- Assuming your asset(s) meet the requirements of this tender, you will be able to submit a bid for the provision of flexible services during the bidding window on the ElectronConnect platform. *Please note if you completed steps 1-4 on Piclo Max, you will need to create an account on ElectronConnect before submitting a bid.
Flexibility map
Our flexibility map below displays the locations within our distribution area where we are currently seeking Flexible Services (navy icons), or may have a requirement in the future (grey icons).
Document library
View our flexible services reports and publications including our Distribution Flexibility Procurement Statement and Year in Review report.
Case studies
Read a range of scenarios that help to conceptualise what the various types of flexible services look like and how flexibility providers can participate in our tenders.
Engagement
View our flexible services event materials, webinar recordings, quarterly newsletters and how to get in touch with the team.
Previous requirements
Learn more about our previously published requirements and expression of interests since 2018.