Instalment 3: South east focus study
In a previous publication we highlighted that the south east is sensitive to within-day flows. We have therefore looked at this region in more depth to better understand the challenge of accommodating within-day customer needs.
Key findings
Our physical network’s ability to transfer gas in and out of the south east plays a crucial role in enabling customers to bring gas on and off the network in a manner that suits their commercial and operational needs.
Managing imbalances in gas brought on and off in the south east: as forecasted by the Future Energy Scenarios, LNG and Interconnector flows are anticipated to increase. Therefore, gas entering the south east could grow. The importance in our capability to transfer gas out of the south east to manage linepack levels in the region may become increasingly important.
Managing within-day behaviour: a sudden change in the amount of gas brought on or off at a location can create significant operational challenges in meeting customer needs in the south east, especially if this occurs when national linepack levels are already declining or increasing.
Next steps: Through the RIIO2 Network Capability work stream, we plan to replicate this south east analysis across the whole network. If potential gaps in both our ability to accommodate future regional imbalances or within-day flows are identified, we will be considering the development of new commercial tools/market solutions as well as asset solutions.