National Grid has secured £1.3 million in funding from Ofgem‘s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) programme to further the development of three innovative projects within its electricity transmission and distribution networks.

National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) will receive £875,000 for two projects aimed at strengthening the resilience of the electricity network.

The first project will focus on reducing the reliance on SF6, an electrical insulating gas, while the second will introduce a novel assessment approach for the entire British electricity system.

National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) has been awarded £499,874 for a project conducted in collaboration with the West Midlands Combined Authority and Advanced Infrastructure.

The project aims to integrate datasets from various sources onto a single digital platform, facilitating local decision-making for regional energy planning in line with net zero objectives.

Both NGET and NGED will be partnering with National Grid’s electricity system operator on the Powering Wales Renewably project, designed to expedite low carbon energy in Wales.

Additionally, NGET will collaborate on the REACT project led by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, while NGED is working with Wales and West Utilities on the NextGen Electrolysis project.