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| Welcome to your Stakeholder Update... | |  | Good afternoon,
Over the summer we have been busy planning our schedule of stakeholder events for the autumn and this month’s newsletter highlights a number of opportunities to meet and engage with us and our partners over the coming months. Take a look below, get your diary out and hopefully we can meet up very soon!
In August we also submitted a response to Ofgem’s consumer standards statutory consultation.
The consultation was set out to further improve customer service for both businesses and households across Great Britain and one of the proposals included a 24/7 service to be provided by electricity suppliers for faults on their meters.
As a power network operator, we already operate 24/7, 365 days a year and we’ve previously called for something similar after we submitted proposals for consideration to change the retail energy code rules. Recently, we’ve experienced first-hand the lack of 24/7 response from suppliers as our own call centre has received calls from customers who were unable to contact their supplier to report a meter fault, which has, at times, delayed the restoration of power to their house.
We’ve already taken steps to ensure we can provide support for customers by issuing prepayment top up cards and food vouchers, but in some instances, suppliers are often far better placed to support their customers when it comes to a meter fault.
We know customers, particularly those in vulnerable circumstances, need protecting when there’s a loss of power. Providing a 24/7 service will help do that and ensure power can be restored much quicker.
This consultation is a win for customers and we look forward to seeing the outcome in October.
In this month's newsletter...
Best wishes
The Stakeholder Communications Team | | | | Save the date for our upcoming regional stakeholder workshops | |  | We look forward to welcoming and networking with our stakeholders across Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester. Join us at any one of our three free events the autumn.
This year we are particularly keen to meet local authority, social housing and major connections representatives so that we can discuss planning and understand regional demand, particularly around future low carbon technology and strategic developments. We will be sharing the outcomes of Ofgem's RIIO-ED2 final determination, including an overview of our regional investment and resilience planning and will also disucss managing capacity, flexible services, distribution, connections, and strategic relationships and engagement with our stakeholders. We would love to hear from, and involve you and your colleagues.
Save the date. Registration information to follow.
- Lancashire: Thursday 2 November (1:00pm - 4:00pm) - Cotton Court Business Centre, Preston
- Cumbria: Friday 10 November (1:00pm - 4:00pm) - North Lakes Hotel & Spa, Penrith
- Greater Manchester: TBC - Manchester city centre
Please get in touch and share details with anyone you think may be interested by contacting stakeholderengagement@enwl.co.uk. | | |  | | Flexibility Services Consultation | | Our 2023 flexibility services consultation is open for submissions until Friday 15 September 2023.
We’re looking to engage with stakeholders to collaboratively shape our priorities and approach to procuring flexibility services throughout RIIO-ED2. With a focus on data sharing, engagement, technical requirements and contracting, this consultation aims to ensure we demonstrate accessibility and simplicity throughout our processes ahead of our Autumn tender.
As the standardisation of procurement processes and contracts are key deliverables of the Open Networks Project in 2023, we’re keen to hear our stakeholders’ views on how they would like to see them implemented into our future tenders and how we can best support the transition to a new industry standard framework style agreement.
We value any level of feedback you wish to provide and will consider all responses when developing our future processes as we continue breaking down barriers for potential providers submitting a tender response.
Ways to respond:
· Complete our online form
· Email your answers to flexible.contracts@enwl.co.uk
· Book a 1-2-1 discussion to share your views with a member of our team
If you have any questions, please contact: flexible.contracts@enwl.co.uk.
Get involved and help us shape the markets of the future! | | | | Electricity North West sponsor Greater Manchester’s sixth annual Green Summit on 2 October – registrations are now open | |  | Greater Manchester’s sixth annual Green Summit will take place on Monday 2 October at The Lowry in Salford Quays. Electricity North West are proud to be supporting this important event as a headline sponsor.
The summit will provide a first look at the Five-Year Environment Plan for Greater Manchester 2024 – 2029, with an additional focus on understanding the behaviours and motivations of people living and working across the city region.
Our Chief Executive, Ian Smyth, will be taking part in a panel Q&A with Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, and other sector leaders. We will also have a stand in the exhibition area where you will be able to talk to one of our many experts from across the organisation as well as learning more about our own Environmental Action Plan and how it supports progress in the region.
This event is for everyone interested in the environment, sustainability, low carbon and a greener future. Whether residents, businesses, policy makers, or community groups, we’d love to hear your views, answer your questions and share our plans with you.
If there is a specific topic or theme that you would like to hear more about, please contact Angela Schorah, our net zero business communications manager, so that we can provide the information that is most important to you.
If you would like a 1-1 conversation at the summit with an expert in a particular area, please let us know and we will try and arrange that for you. | | | | Join us at the Greater Manchester Green Summit | |
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 | | Industry event - National Grid Electricity Transmission: Pathway to Net Zero on 10 October | | Join us at National Grid Electricity Transmission’s North West regional event on 10 October. NGET are hosting a series of workshops that are regionally focused, in locations across their network, both in person with lunch provided and online. We will be joining them at their North West workshop, the purpose is to give key stakeholders an opportunity to inform their investment plans. Topics for discussion will include:
- What stakeholders need from the transmission network and how they can work in partnership to deliver this
- NGET’s current best view of where regional investment will be required
- How NGET can adopt a whole system approach to network planning
- Connections Reform: how NGET can enable faster connections to meet Net Zero
We do hope to see you there, please click on the appropriate link(s) below to register. | | | | Join us at the NGET pathway to net zero event | |
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| ENA online focus group for local authorities on 19 September | |  | Join Electricity Networks Association’s (ENA) online focus group on 19 September to explore how networks can engage with local authorities to better align net zero planning and network investment.
The focus group will give local authorities the opportunity to speak with the ENA and energy networks about the roles and responsibilities of networks and local authorities when it comes to net zero planning processes, and to influence how networks approach future engagement processes.
Representatives from the regional electricity distribution network operators (DNOs), including Electricity North West, and gas distribution networks (GDNs) will be joining the sessions to listen to your views and share updates about innovation projects that are streamlining net zero planning processes. You will also hear from local authorities about their net zero planning processes and experiences.
Your comments in the focus groups will feed into a public report that will set the groundwork for how the ENA and its associated networks approach net zero planning engagement with local authorities.
If you cannot attend but wish to share your views, please get in touch with matherton@regen.co.uk. | | | | Join us at the Electricity Networks Association’s (ENA) online focus group | |
19 September 2023, 10:00 – 12:00
For local authorities in Scotland, Northern England, North Wales and Northern Ireland |
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| Electricity North West is building on net zero targets | | Electricity North West has reinforced its ambitious net zero targets by continuing to align with the global Science Based Target initiative (SBTi). In 2021, Electricity North West joined the Race to Net Zero campaign, a UN-backed coalition of more than 3,000 global leading companies which are focused on addressing the climate emergency. This included developing targets for validation against the science-based targets initiative, which are consistent with keeping global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Now, as part of its latest commitment, Electricity North West will look to reduce Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions. Read the full article HERE. | | | Electricity North West supports development and launch of UK Business Climate Hub for SMEs | The Government’s Net Zero Council has launched an online net zero advice hub for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and Electricity North West has been instrumental in its development. We have been one of a number of businesses, associations and industry partners that have supported this initiative since its inception, including the Federation of Small Businesses, the Institute of Directors, HSBC, NatWest, Northern Power Grid and National Grid.
British businesses accessing the Hub will be able to access new advice and support to reduce their energy bills and cut their carbon emissions. The Hub includes a free carbon calculator, alongside a suite of new tools to help businesses measure, track and report on their emissions and save money by using less energy. The Broadway Initiative - an alliance of organisations leading change towards sustainability - will manage the Hub. Read the full article HERE. | | | Public asked to be vigilant after £30,000 of electricity assets stolen in Bolton | | The North West’s power network operator is asking the public to keep a lookout after assets have been stolen from two sites in Greater Manchester. Electricity North West estimates that more than £30,000 of equipment has been stolen in the last month after a mini digger and electrical generator were taken. The digger was stolen from a high voltage substation on Hall Lane in Horwich as thieves used an angle grinder to break through padlocks and illegally enter the grounds before making away with the machine. Read the full article HERE. | | | Electricity North West welcomes intern as part of national programme | Electricity North West has welcomed its first intern from a programme designed to offer paid work experience to black graduates. Pracious Nkume joined Electricity North West last month as part of the 10,000 Black Intern programme. The programme launched back in 2020 and seeks to offer 2,000 internships each year for five consecutive years. Read the full article HERE.
All the latest and previous press releases can be found HERE. | |
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