- Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) and Electron successfully completed a live trial of day-ahead markets to support customer supplies during planned power works in Maidenhead.
- The trial was set up within one week on ElectronConnect and used short-notice flexibility to reduce the risk of outages during essential maintenance.
- Results show 507kW contracted across three assets, supporting customers’ supplies.
Distribution network operator Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) and Electron, the UK’s leading flexibility marketplace provider, have successfully completed an early-stage live trial using day-ahead markets to support customer supplies during planned power works in Maidenhead.
During a two-week period, SSEN procured short-notice flexibility in low volumes to help keep customers’ electricity supplies stable while engineers carried out essential maintenance. This reduced the number of homes and businesses at risk of losing power.
SSEN and Electron configured and launched the day-ahead market within one week. SSEN then published a day-ahead flexibility requirement one day before delivery, and invited a small number of providers to temporarily reduce their demand or adjust generation during evening peak hours. Providers responded through Electron’s platform, ElectronConnect, allowing SSEN to secure support close to real time. SSEN deliberately limited volumes to test the process under controlled conditions.
The trial delivered 507kW of flexibility across two weeks, with three assets participating.
During larger planned outages where infrastructure permits, SSEN can reroute network supplies to help ensure no households are without power. Using flexibility at such times reduces the potential for customers to lose supplies if an unexpected issue arises while maintenance is underway.
By using the day-ahead market in this way, SSEN actively managed the situation without relying solely on longer-term contracts. The approach increased the available window for planned works and enabled maintenance during higher-demand periods. This reduced the likelihood of customer disruption while helping the network operate efficiently.
The trial also explored outage management as an expanded use case for flexibility procurement. By integrating this requirement into the day-ahead market, SSEN and Electron created additional opportunities for flexibility service providers to participate at short notice, supporting broader market access and opening new potential revenue streams for providers.
Paul Fitzgerald, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks’ Flexibility Markets Manager, says:
“Using flexibility in this way helps our customers by reducing the likelihood of them going off supply during planned maintenance.
“This trial has demonstrated the potential for flexibility to help further secure the network and better support our customers. We hope in time to be able to use flex in this way to carry out network maintenance that requires outages at times of the year we wouldn’t normally be able to.”
“This trial highlights the potential of flexibility becoming fully responsive when moving closer to real time,” said Jo-Jo Hubbard, CEO and Co-Founder of Electron. “By enabling SSEN to secure support at short notice, day-ahead markets help protect customers during essential works while unlocking new opportunities for providers. That kind of agility is critical as networks manage growing demand and an increasingly decentralised energy system.”
SSEN and Electron will now review the operational and commercial results to assess how day-ahead markets could become part of regular outage management in the future.
About SSEN Distribution
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution is an electricity Distribution Network Operator which is part of the FTSE-100 energy company, SSE. We serve almost 4 million customers across the diverse communities of central southern England and the north of Scotland.
We provide millions of homes and businesses with a safe and reliable supply of electricity, and we’re at the forefront of delivering the decarbonised electricity system of the future, by connecting new Low-Carbon Technologies to the network. Through this, we’re helping support sustainable economic growth for decades to come.
For further information please contact SSEN’s Media Team on media@sse.com
About Electron
Electron’s mission is to unlock energy abundance by helping utilities deliver affordable, reliable grid capacity from millions of flexible distributed energy resources (DERs). Combining grid-aware analytics with market coordination, Electron enables system operators and utilities to uncover, validate, and activate the value of distributed flexibility. Trusted by leading distributed utilities worldwide, Electron is providing the digital foundations for a proof-led, low-cost, and resilient energy system.
For media requests, please contact Emma Lovell at emma.lovell@electron.net.
