Following the publication of the five RIIO-3 Innovation Challenges, we are welcoming early engagement from innovators with ideas or solutions that could help address them.
The innovation delivery groups will shape and prioritise activity and opportunities under each challenge over the coming months. However, innovators can begin engaging now where they have ideas or solutions that align with the published challenges (and the innovation priorities identified).
The Energy Innovation Centre (EIC) team has over 200 years of collective industry experience and can provide initial feedback on ideas, support proposition development, help assess alignment with the challenges, signpost to relevant funding routes and facilitate engagement with energy networks where appropriate. Where appropriate, the EIC will liaise with Ofgem, UKRI and relevant stakeholders to ensure effective industry coordination.
Please complete the SIF Challenge Triage form at the bottom of this page. If you have any further questions, please contact us.
50% faster, 20% cheaper network build and maintenance by 2035
Overview
This challenge will bring about a reduction in end-to-end delivery time and whole-life costs across all network infrastructure – new build, reinforcement and maintenance of both electricity and gas networks.
The Transmission Acceleration Action Plan already targets halving transmission build times from existing timelines of 12-14 years by circa 2027. But this challenge goes further, extending the same ambition to gas networks and electricity distribution – and to encompass reinforcement and maintenance; and setting
a hard 2035 deadline.
With £90bn of network investment planned over the RIIO-3 period, a 20% cost reduction represents billions in potential savings that can be passed on to consumers, while giving network operators the tools to support the influx of low-carbon energy sources, storage assets and demand across both electricity and gas.
Meeting both targets simultaneously will require radical change at every stage of the network build project lifecycle. Innovations such as robotics, modular construction, and cost-efficient undergrounding methods could significantly reduce the complexity and cost of physical works. Digitalisation of assets and streamlined planning and consenting processes have the potential to remove some of the longest delays. Radical changes to the way utility works are planned and conducted, from the smallest to the largest scale, will minimise disruption to customers. Closer linkages between planning of long-term transmission infrastructure pathways and delivery of transmission upgrades will support efficient project outcomes.
On the commercial side, modifications to procurement approaches to support closer supply chain engagement (including standardisation with international supply chains) could unlock significant capacity and reduce lead times.
Expanding the roles of Independent Distribution Network Operators (IDNOs) and Independent Gas Transporters (IGTs) to deliver more contestable work and further resolving the roles of independent operators of transmission assets, are further options to accelerate delivery and drive down costs across both electricity and gas networks.
Potential Prize
- Accelerated end-to-end delivery of network infrastructure
- Cost reduction through greater automation across build and maintenance of networks
- Economic value of on-shoring more of the construction and manufacturing of network assets
- Reduced total cost of ownership through expanding non-standard modes of delivery such as independent network operators
- Reduced disruption to customers and the environment
- Developing and implementing world leading technology.
Challenge Ambition
- End-to-End Delivery Time: The Transmission Acceleration Action Plan demonstrated concrete steps to halve the delivery duration of electricity transmission infrastructure. Broadening the ambition to all network build, reinforcement or maintenance projects will maximise the benefits as the energy transition gathers pace
- Project Cost: Cutting the average real-terms unit cost of network reinforcement, build or maintenance by 20% will have tangible benefits for all network customers.
- Delivery Year: The 2025 Future Energy Scenarios from the National Energy System Operator (NESO) project peak electricity demand to double by 2050, with 50% of this increase taking place between 2035 and 2040. This means innovations in network deployment must be delivered well before 2035 so that they can be used in the intensive preparation of infrastructure for this rapid increase in demand. Rapid deployment will be anchored in coordinated network plans, which will be based on the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP), Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESP) and Centralised Strategic Network Plan (CNSP) to be delivered by 2028.
Necessary Partnerships
- Networks: Including transmission and distribution network operators for both electricity and gas
- Supply Chain: Simplifying and increasing the robustness of supply chains through alignment with international standards and collaborative design to consider deployability and scalability of manufacturing
- Technology Companies: Those who are developing strong robotic, modular and automated solutions to construction
- Construction and Planning: Working with organisations across the planning and construction phases of projects to identify opportunities to speed up processes and approvals, and designing novel technologies and approaches that can deliver faster and cheaper build.
Innovation Opportunities
- Robotics for detailed surveying and energy network construction
- Modular construction of network assets enabling rapid upgrading and maintenance
- Standardisation with international supply chains
- Streamlining of planning and consenting processes, including digital consenting
- Changes to regulation and procurement allowed through the price controls
- On-site manufacturing of custom network asset components to minimise logistics
- Novel cable and transmission designs, including meshed offshore high voltage direct current (HVDC) networks and high temperature superconducting cables (HTSC)
- Rapid-deployment pipeline technologies for distributed green gas injection
sites - Cost-efficient undergrounding methods
- Robust vector-shifting control schemes to deliver virtual capacity by making use of existing capacity on other networks, eg hybrid heating
- Modifications to procurement approaches to support closer supply chain engagement
- Expanding the roles of Independent Distribution Network Operators (IDNOs) and Independent Gas Transporters (IGTs) to deliver more contestable work, and further resolving the roles of independent operators of transmission assets
- Maintenance effort reductions to achieve ongoing cost savings
- Digitalisation of assets – digital representations of physical network infrastructure
- Collection and use of high-resolution data to support robust detailed designs at lower cost.
Case Study: Step-Changes in Transmission Capacity with Robot-Applied Coatings
AssetCool combines advanced materials science and robotics to increase the capacity and reliability of existing overhead power lines. Its core innovation is a spectrally selective coating that reduces solar heat absorption while enhancing thermal emission.
This enables up to 30% more capacity on existing lines, with typical increases of 50-200 MW. Robotically applied in the field by crawler and aerial platforms during planned maintenance, or at time of manufacture, deployment timelines are weeks to months rather than years.
The technology is complementary to other solutions such as High Temperature Low Sag (HTLS) conductors & Dynamic Line Rating (DLR).
Headquartered in Leeds, AssetCool has completed real-world deployments and pilots in Great Britain, the United States, Canada and more than 10 other countries.