AMP wins UK power networks contract

Mark Tarry, Chief Financial Officer at AMP, comments on its contract win following UK Power Network’s recent flexibility auction. 

The five-year contract will see AMP deliver up to 1.5MW of flexible generation from a 2.3MW facility at Romney Warren in South East England.

“Being awarded this contract as part of the UK’s biggest competitive tender for flexible energy services demonstrates that using smaller scale distributed energy is now the ‘new normal’, with thousands of smaller generating assets now contributing to the UK’s energy requirements.

“To achieve the full potential of distributed generation, more networks must now focus efforts on anticipating future demand growth and pinpointing hot spots for future constraints. This would help to provide clear market signals for investment in flexible generation, when and where it is needed most.

“AMP has long championed the potential for decentralised, sustainable energy as the UK transitions to a low-carbon future.  Our Urban Reserve project develops flexible generation plants which help support the transition to a low carbon economy by providing on-demand electricity when and where it’s needed most..

“This is another step in the transformation of both the mix of generation sources and the structure of our networks.  To ensure security of supply, the UK requires sources of reliable and flexible power, able to respond swiftly to fluctuations and – increasingly – address pressure on local networks and constraints in urban areas.  With the UK’s eyes now firmly on net zero, flexible solutions that ensure demand peaks are manageable will be vital.”

The bidding process was managed and hosted by online platform Piclo, which matches energy providers’ resources with the network operator’s local need for flexible energy resources.