What does DSO look like in practice?
At SP Energy Networks, Distribution System Operation (DSO) isn’t a future ambition ─ it’s already part of how we run our network every day.
The way our electricity network is used is changing rapidly. Demand is growing and becoming more dynamic, driven by the uptake of electric vehicles, low-carbon heat, and new technologies. At the same time, increasing volumes of distributed energy resources (DER) are connecting across our network means power is flowing in more complex and dynamic ways.
In response, the network can no longer operate passively. We actively manage it in real time, using improved visibility, data and closer collaboration with customers and stakeholders to make better-informed decisions.
In simple terms, being a DSO is about making the network work harder and smarter. It means enabling customers and stakeholders to play a more active role, supporting the growth of low-carbon technologies, and connecting customers faster, all while maintaining a reliable and resilient network.
That shift is accelerating, transforming how we operate to deliver better outcomes for customers, communities, and the wider energy system.
How the way we operate has changed
The biggest change is that the network is no longer passive ─ it’s actively managed, with decisions made continuously, not just in response to faults or long-term planning.
This is already embedded in how we operate day to day:
- Real-time system management: Tools like Active Network Management (ANM) dynamically match generation to available capacity, enabling faster connections and making better use of existing infrastructure.
- Evolving control room roles: Our control rooms actively manage the network, using data and flexibility to respond to changing conditions while maintaining safe and efficient operation.
- Planning ahead for resilience: During severe weather, services like StormFlex ensure flexibility providers are ready to support the network and restore supply quickly.
- Scaling flexibility as a core tool: Flexibility is now routinely used to manage constraints, reduce curtailment, and maximise available network capacity. What began as innovation is becoming business as usual.
Across all of this, we are moving from reacting to anticipating, making earlier, better-informed decisions to actively manage the network in real time.
What makes this possible?
This shift in how we operate is driven by three key capabilities:
1. Better visibility of the network
We now have a far clearer, near real-time picture of what is happening across the network. Through technologies like LV monitoring, smart meters and our digital twin (NAVI), we can:
- Identify emerging faults before they interrupt customers
- Understand where spare capacity is available
- Track how the system is behaving and where flexibility can support
- Unlock opportunities to connect customers more quickly
This becomes increasingly important as DER continues to grow, requiring more granular insight to manage local impacts effectively. For example, over 11,000 low-voltage monitors are now installed across the network, giving us much deeper visibility into how it is being used.
In practice, this means we can spot issues earlier, target interventions more effectively, and act sooner.
2. Data-led decision making
Better visibility only matters if it leads to better decisions, and that’s exactly what we are seeing.
We are increasingly using data, both our own and from external sources, to forecast demand, identify constraints and plan solutions. Our planning tools simulate network behaviour in detail, allowing us to:
- Anticipate where and when interventions will be needed
- Avoid unnecessary reinforcement through smarter, lower-cost alternatives
- Make proportionate decisions based on real conditions rather than worst-case assumptions
This has fundamentally changed how the network is planned and operated, shifting from static models to dynamic, evidence-based decisions that evolve as conditions change. Decisions can now be made earlier and with greater confidence, reducing delays and making better use of available capacity.
This data also directly benefits our stakeholders. By sharing it, we enable faster, more confident decisions, aligned to real network constraints, with fewer surprises.
3. Active participation from customers and partners
Operating the network is no longer something we do alone. Customers, generators, local authorities and flexibility providers all play an active role.
Through flexibility services, participants can adjust when they use, store or generate electricity to help manage the network. In practice, this includes:
- Increasing demand to absorb excess renewable generation
- Reducing demand at peak times
- Supporting resilience during system stress events
Active participation is scaling rapidly and has moved from trials into a core part of day-to-day operations. Dispatched flexibility has grown from around 385 MWh to over 3,000 MWh, alongside a significant increase in participating assets and providers.
What this delivers in practice
These capabilities ─ visibility, data and participation matter because of what they enable:
- Faster, better-informed decisions, reducing delays and uncertainty for customers
- Improved resilience, particularly during storms and system stress, helping restore supply faster and minimise disruption
- More efficient use of capacity, reducing the need for reinforcement and helping keep costs down for bill payers
- Quicker, more flexible connections for customers and low-carbon technologies, enabling faster progress towards net-zero
- Fewer and shorter disruptions, through earlier detection and intervention
These are tangible improvements for customers, communities, and stakeholders, supporting a more coordinated and responsive energy system.
This approach is also enabling faster connections, with hundreds of megawatts of new generation connecting through flexible access, allowing customers to connect earlier than would otherwise be possible.
DSO in action
Distribution System Operation is now embedded in how we plan, operate and manage the network every day.
Through better visibility, data-led decision making and active participation from customers and partners, we are delivering a more flexible, responsive, and efficient network. This means faster, more confident decisions, improved resilience, better use of existing infrastructure, and quicker connections for customers and low-carbon technologies.
Together, these capabilities represent a fundamental shift in how the network operates, supporting a more dynamic, decentralised energy system while maintaining the reliability and service our customers expect.
This is DSO in action, delivering real outcomes across our network today.