The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Ofgem have jointly commissioned an independent panel to review electrical engineering standards.
The review will consider how the planning and, where appropriate, operational and investment engineering standards should be updated in response to the changing electricity system, while maintaining security of supply to consumers.
Existing engineering standards, guides and recommendations currently have varying degrees of impact on how networks are planned, designed, built and operated. The review is expected to make recommendations relating to these standards and associated documents, but also take a wider view where other elements of the system interact with engineering standards.
The panel will make recommendations to government on next steps to ensure that the standards are not creating undue costs on the electricity system and consumers.
It will also include recommendations on ensuring that the standards are adequate for a smart and flexible electricity system.
The outputs of the review are expected to include proposals for how engineering standards should evolve, including any specific recommendations to government, Ofgem and industry on how to do this, meeting the needs of energy consumers and overall system costs and benefits.
In addition, the panel will indicate how government can best work with other bodies to consider how the proposals it sets out can be delivered, as well as where action can be taken to achieve quick wins to address known problem areas.
Commenting on the review, an Energy Networks Association (ENA) spokesperson said: “As the energy system becomes smarter and more flexible, it will be important that the review of electrical engineering standards supports innovation in new technologies, supports the review of the Codes, and helps networks enable the path to net zero at best value for the public.
“We welcome this review and look forward to working with the new, independent panel along with Ofgem and BEIS to make sure that the public continue to receive the smart, resilient and low carbon energy networks they need.”
The independent panel will be chaired by Simon Harrison, group strategic development manager at Mott MacDonald. Harrison is also an Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) vice president, as well as chair of the IET’s Policy Panel and the IET/Energy Systems Catapult’s Future Power System Architecture Programme.
An organisation will be appointed under a service contract to undertake research for the panel to identify standards and produce information for review. This appointment will be undertaken by government.
The panel is expected to provide an independent report with associated recommendations by the end of March 2020.