Business plans for our three electricity networks Draft for consultation business plan for 215 to 223 November 212 ukpowernetworks.co.uk
Thank you for taking the time to read our draft business plan for 215 to 223. We are due to submit our final business plan for approval to our regulator Ofgem in July 213. This document sets out in detail our planning process, the outputs we propose to deliver for our customers, and our current estimates of our costs and revenues. Our draft plan is dedicated to achieving our target of top third performance compared to the other electricity distribution networks in Great Britain. We also describe the step change in performance that we have delivered for our customers since we became UK Power Networks in October 21. I am delighted that we have reduced customer minutes lost by 41.5 per cent over the last two years, whilst at the same time reducing our overhead costs by 19 per cent and customer complaints by 81 per cent. The next ten years or so will be a time of challenge and change for our networks, as we try and balance the different priorities of affordable tariffs, investment in the health and capacity of the network and supporting the UK s low carbon transition, whilst keeping the public and our employees safe. We must also innovate to utilise our network more efficiently, and prepare for a possible transition to a smart grid without creating stranded costs. Your feedback on our plan is important to us and I encourage you to comment on any aspect of our plans or forecasts. Our consultation period closes on 1 February. After that we will publish a final draft plan reflecting all the feedback we receive, and this will form the basis of the business plan we then submit to Ofgem next summer. With your help, our business plan for 215 to 223 will balance appropriately the needs of all our stakeholders. Thank you Basil Scarsella Chief Executive
Contents 1. What does UK Power Networks do? 4 2. How to respond to this consultation 6 3. Executive summary 1 4. UK Power Networks and our step change in performance 4.1 Where we operate 17 4.2 Our ownership structure 18 4.3 Our vision and values 18 4.4 Our legal and regulatory framework 2 4.5 Improving network performance 21 4.6 Improving customer satisfaction 27 4.7 Improving our connections work 31 4.8 Improving safety 34 4.9 Delivering long-term value for customers 4.1 Innovating to excel as a business 4 4.11 Smart innovation to meet demand 45 5. Process: how we are planning for the future 37 52 5.1 Our stakeholder engagement activities 54 5.2 Developing the plans for expanding our network (load related forecast) 5.3 Developing our asset replacement (non-load related) expenditure forecast 57 63 5.4 Developing our operating cost expenditure forecast 68 5.5 Regional cost effects 68 5.6 Changes for 213 74 6. Outputs: our commitments to customers 79 6.1 Performance outputs 79 7. Expenditure: what we will spend to deliver to 223 7.1 Our plans build on current improvements 84 86 7.2 Expenditure: plans for our networks 86 8. Financing: what this means for bills 1 8.1 Developing the revenue requirement 11 8.2 The impact on our customers 12 9. Managing risk and uncertainty 14 9.1 Key areas of uncertainty in the future 15 9.2 Allowing flexibility 16 1. Glossary 18 This document is published in conjunction with three summary plan documents for each of our three licensed electricity distribution networks. This detailed document contains extra information in Section 4 on our step change in performance, Section 5 on our planning process and stakeholder engagement, and Section 9 on managing risk and uncertainty which has been omitted from the summary documents.
1 What does UK Power Networks do? UK Power Networks owns, operates and manages three of the fourteen regional electricity distribution networks in the UK. Our licensed distribution networks are in the East of England (EPN), London (LPN) and the South East (SPN). UK Power Networks is one of the largest Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) in the UK, covering an area of approximately 3,km 2, extending from the Wash in the east, through London, to Littlehampton on the Sussex coast. Approximately eight million connected customers depend on us for their power. Our job is to deliver electricity to our customers safely, to keep the lights on and to connect new customers. We are responsible for maintaining and modernising our networks and ensuring that there is adequate capacity to support the needs of our customers. We are not the National Grid (the Great Britain-wide motorway system for electricity). Also we are not an electricity retailer; we don t bill end customers and we don t own the electricity flowing through our networks. Instead we deliver electricity on behalf of the big six and other energy retailers in our service area. Electricity distribution costs represent approximately 18 per cent 1 of the average domestic electricity bill. We are a monopoly and our distribution tariffs are regulated by Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem). Ofgem has already set our prices for 21 to 215. Now we are consulting on the business plan that we will submit to Ofgem to form the basis of our prices for 215 to 223. 1 Ofgem Fact sheet 97, 31 May 212 >pg4 Business plan
What we do We take electricity at high voltages from the National Grid and transform it down to voltages suitable for commercial and domestic use. Where we operate Power Station Generates at 25, volts National Grid Electricity leaves here at 4,/ 275, volts Grid Supply Points Electricity leaves here at 132, volts Primary Substation Electricity leaves here at 11, volts Grid Substation Electricity leaves here at 33, volts and is used by heavy industry Regional Distribution Network Electricity is transported at 132, volts Electricity Cables Electricity is transported at 11, volts Secondary Substation Electricity leaves here at 23 volts Your Property Electricity enters your home or business at 23 volts Peterborough Norwich Cambridge Stevenage EPN Bury St Edmunds Colchester Ipswich MANAGED BY UK POWER NETWORKS LPN London Crawley SPN Maidstone Tunbridge Wells East Grinstead Worthing Eastbourne London business plan >pg5 Business plan >pg5
2 How to respond to this consultation Thank you for taking the time to read this consultation paper. Your views are important to us and you can have your say on the issues we have raised by logging on to our consultation website. http://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/internet/en/have-your-say/business-plan/ The consultation pages will take you through each section of the document and give you an opportunity to respond to a number of focused questions, as reiterated in this section below: >pg6 Business plan
Summary of all consultation questions Reliability and security of electricity supply Q1. Are you satisfied with the reliability of your electricity supply? If not, please let us know why not, and what specifically you would like to see us do better Q2. We propose to hold our reliability performance approximately constant in future years. Do you agree with this or do you think that we should spend more to reduce either the number or the duration of power cuts, even if this would mean higher charges? Q3. Do you support our plan for Central London, including new strategic capacity, increased resilience, and improved customer service, and do you think it has the correct priorities? Who do you think should pay for the investment required (e.g. between existing and connection customers, or between different geographies or categories of existing customers) Q4. Do you think we should broaden our measures of quality of service to include additional customers? In particular, should we measure customers that experience a power cut of less than three minutes? Conditions for electricity connections Q5. What do you think is important to customers when they request a new electricity connection, and what should we focus on improving? For example, the cost, the time to connect, the quality of our customer service? Q6. Do you think we should proactively provide more electrical infrastructure, before the capacity is required, so that electricity connections can be made more quickly or easily? In particular, is London a special case and, if so, why? Q7. Do you think we should invest more in the electricity network to make it quicker or easier for renewable or distributed generators to connect? Q8. Should any investment to make connections quicker and easier be subsidised by all customers in the region, or purely paid for by those wishing to make new connections? Business plan >pg7
Incentives and innovation Q9. Do you think our approach to innovation and change is sufficient? Do you think we should be researching additional areas in relation to change and innovation, and if so what? Q1. How much of a priority should each of the following areas be for us in 215 to 223? Facilitating renewable generation Facilitating new demand sources such as electric vehicles, heat pumps, etc. Empowering customers with information Managing customer demand to avoid the need for network reinforcement Improving electricity network service and reliability Increasing network control and automation in preparation for a smart grid Customer satisfaction and social obligations Q11. What do you think we should do to improve customer service and to measure the satisfaction of our customers? Q12. How can we make it easier for our customers to communicate with us, either in a power cut situation, for a new connection, or for a general enquiry? Q13. Do you think there are additional services we should be providing to vulnerable or fuel poor customers? Safety Q14. Would you value more engagement or information around safety and electricity? Q15. We believe we have improved signage and security around our excavations on the public highway. How should we improve the safety of employees and the general public? Q16. What should we be doing more of in the future? For example: Greater prevention of metal theft and vandalism Additional safety education programmes Environment Q17. What are the current initiatives and issues that concern you surrounding our impact on the environment? Q18. What should we be doing more of in the future? For example: Extending our programme of undergrounding overhead electricity lines beyond Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty to other sensitive areas Installing equipment with lower lifetime carbon impact >pg8 Business plan
Increasing our programme to actively remove oil filled equipment Change our monitoring of SF6 (a greenhouse gas commonly used in electrical transformers) More challenging targets for our carbon footprint Expenditure Q19. Do you think our proposed level of expenditure is appropriate to meet the output targets in our business plan? If not, please be specific as to your views on what should change Financing Q2. What do you think about our assumptions regarding the financing of our activities and our proposed revenues and prices? General Q21. Is this consultation helpful? What could we have done better? Q22. Do you have any general comments you would like to make about our forecast business plans for our electricity networks? Q23. Please let us know if you have any other thoughts or comments on the points raised in this document, or if you would like to highlight any other issues you consider important Alternative ways of responding If you do not have access to the internet you can reply to this consultation by post. Please send your comments to: Nawaz Ahmed Head of Stakeholder Engagement UK Power Networks Newington House 237 Southwark Bridge Road London, SE1 6NP We look forward to hearing from you. All the responses we receive will be fed into our findings to help shape our business plans in a sustainable direction for RIIO-ED1. At the end of the consultation all submissions will be posted on our website. Consultation period ends 1 February 213 Business plan >pg9
3 Executive summary Our business Since October 21 we have been owned by the Cheung Kong Group, and the Li Ka Shing Foundation, long-term investors in utility businesses around the world. We own three of the 14 electricity distribution networks in Great Britain. We are a monopoly 2 business and the tariffs we charge are regulated by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem). As a result we periodically go through a process to justify our forecast expenditure to Ofgem. We are approaching the next review, which starts next year and will define our tariffs for the period from 215 to 223. Consulting on our business plan for 215 to 223 This document outlines our forecast business plan for that period. It describes the drivers for our investment and the total amount we will need to spend to deliver the outputs our customers value. We are publishing this consultation document in order to gather our stakeholders input on our thinking so far. Doing this now enables us to integrate these views into our plans in time for the formal submission of our forecast business plan to Ofgem in July 213. This is the first time the electricity distribution business will be subject to Ofgem s new framework for agreeing our business plans, called RIIO - Revenue = Incentives + Innovation + Outputs. This approach was adopted in 29 and provides a toolkit with which to address future uncertainty and the transition to the low carbon economy. We welcome the views of our stakeholders and have outlined in each chapter a series of questions that can help guide responses to this document. Our step change in performance Our vision is to deliver top third performance amongst the 14 distribution networks in Great Britain in the key areas of safety, network reliability, customer service, cost efficiency and employee engagement. We want each of our three networks to perform equivalent to or better than comparable networks. We have delivered a step change towards that performance over the last two years. We have made significant improvements in quality of supply, with customer minutes lost (CML) down by 41.5 per cent. We have improved our customer service with complaints down by 81 per cent. At the same time we are improving our cost efficiency to bring better value for money through sustainable cost savings programmes that have driven down our overhead costs by 19 per cent and are improving our employee and public safety performance. Our plan lays the platform for a low carbon future Electricity distribution companies have a role to play in facilitating the UK s transition to a lower carbon economy. We are expecting growth in electric vehicles and domestic heat pumps 3 and that connecting these technologies will lead to new demands on our networks. We are planning now for these to appear on our networks to ensure we are prepared and can ensure we build the capacity to accommodate them. We are also expecting growth in distributed generation from smaller scale generation from solar panels on roofs to onshore wind farms. We are developing our thinking on how to best to develop our networks (e.g. taking into account smart technologies) and the ways we work so that our networks continue to provide long-term value for money for a range of plausible future scenarios. Our approach includes proactively participating in small and large scale real-time trials of innovative new approaches and technologies through our projects Low Carbon London 4 and Flexible Plug and Play 5, and other innovation activities. We will also support energy suppliers in their roll-out of smart meters and will seek opportunities to adapt our business to use the data to better serve our customers. Our plan is informed by the views of stakeholders We have been developing this plan over the past two years and have engaged widely with our stakeholders in a variety of forums. Our objective is to ensure our stakeholders have the opportunity to influence the way in which we plan for the future. We have sought the views of stakeholders and ensured these views have been included in the plans so far and we have reflected that throughout this document. We are undertaking specific stakeholder engagement for our forecast business plan alongside our on-going engagement activities that continuously inform our decision making. 2 We are a monopoly as it is economically efficient for there to be only one network that provides electricity to homes and businesses in any given area, rather than multiple independent networks 3 A technology that can take energy from the air or ground and makes it useable to heat our homes 4 http://lowcarbonlondon.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/ 5 http://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/internet/en/innovation/fpp >pg1 Business plan
Expanding our networks to reflect customer needs The need to extend and expand our networks is driven by increases in electricity demand. We forecast electricity demand based on a wide range of factors including the number of new households and the rate of economic growth. We have worked with our stakeholders to refine our planning scenarios and have developed innovative models to enable us to take a longerterm view. We are also considering how new uses and ways in which people use electricity (such as electric vehicles or heat pumps) may impact our networks. We have taken views for the uptake on the more uncertain future demands from low carbon technologies (electric vehicles and heat pumps), how people may respond to tariffs that change with the time of day, and how much renewable generation may seek to connect to the networks. In formulating our views on the future electricity demand we have taken our stakeholders views into account to build up our view on a core electricity demand growth scenario upon which to base our investment plans (see Figure 3.1 to Figure 3.3). Figure 3.1: EPN peak load evolution Forecast growth of electricity demand Mega watts 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Totals 211: 6966 MW 215: 6996 MW 223: 7524 MW 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 22 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 23 231 Domestic demand I&C demand EV's demand HP's demand Our EPN forecast is based on the long-term trend in background growth in domestic and industrial and commercial (I&C) demand, together with a modest increase in new connections for heat pumps (233,) and electric vehicles (243,) by 23. Figure 3.2: LPN peak load evolution Forecast growth of electricity demand Mega watts 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Totals 211: 5417 MW 215: 565 MW 223: 6151 MW 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 22 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 23 231 Domestic demand I&C demand EV's demand HP's demand Our LPN forecast is based on the higher long-term trend in background growth in domestic and industrial and commercial (I&C) demand for London, together with a small increase in new connections for heat pumps (61,) and electric vehicles (13,) by 23. Figure 3.3: SPN peak load evolution Forecast growth of electricity demand Mega watts 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Totals 211: 49 MW 215: 4168 MW 223: 433 MW 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 22 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 23 231 Domestic demand I&C demand EV's demand HP's demand Our SPN forecast is based on the long-term trend in background growth in domestic and industrial and commercial (I&C) demand, together with an increase in new connections for heat pumps (121,) and electric vehicles (156,) by 23. Business plan >pg11
Regional challenges Our three networks serve London, the South East and the East. This is the most densely populated and expensive part of the country. This fact has a direct impact on how we must operate and the overall cost of our business. We face higher than average salary costs as a result of the increased cost of living in our region compared to other parts of the country. We also face additional operational challenges from the urban environment. Our consultations suggest that our urban customers are typically more sensitive to power cuts and require us to do more of our work out-of-hours or at weekends fitting this in between highprofile public events. As an extreme example, this year we had to cease planned work in parts of London during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We also have to deal with congestion under pavements and roads, meaning we have to avoid other pipes and wires when we do work, which increases the complexity of what we do. We also regularly have to put our equipment into small spaces and often underground to minimise how much land we use. This leads to higher costs to install and maintain our equipment. Our Central London Plan We are also aware of our responsibility to ensure that London s electricity network is fit for purpose and comparable to other world cities in terms of resilience, quality of supply, and the ability to deliver new connections. In order to ensure this, our business plan proposes 21 million of strategic investment in a Central London Plan including additional capacity through six new main substations, increased resilience from more automation at both HV and LV, and a trial of unit protection at four Central London sites. The outputs we will deliver Our forecast business plan is based on a range of assumptions including the commitments to our customers to what we will deliver across a range of outputs. The outputs and the target performance have been developed in conjunction with our stakeholders and a summary of those assumed in making this forecast business plan are presented in Figure 3.4. Our plan delivers against Ofgem s output categories and set ambitious targets for RIIO-ED1. Figure 3.4: Our plans delivers against Ofgem s output categories and set ambitious targets for RIIO-ED1 Category Our forecast for 12/13 Our forecast for 14/15 Our focus in RIIO-ED1 Reliability and availability Customer satisfaction Connections Social responsibility Environment Safety LPN SPN EPN LPN SPN EPN Top third IIS performance Maintain network risk in EPN and SPN as measured by HI/LI Reduce network risk in LPN for both HI/LI Top third BMoCS performance Smart fault handling Improve time to connect every year Targeted anticipatory investment in Central London and for DG Value for money focus Reflect wider distribution system optimisation role in our investment decisions Target investment on vulnerable and worst served customers Top third performance amongst DNOs in BCF league table Continue to aim for Zero Harm Public safety awareness Managing risk and uncertainty Our forecast business plan considers the risks of the future being different to our forecasts. The management of risk and uncertainty in this time of transition to a decarbonised energy sector for our stakeholders is an important consideration in our plans. We have a well-developed strategy for the management of corporate risk and this is reflected in our business plan. The primary considerations in developing our approach to risk management for our forecast business plan are to: Recognised that we are best placed to manage risks to the delivery of the business plan Reflect the overall risks with an appropriate regulated rate of return on equity To only use uncertainty mechanisms proposed by Ofgem where we can materially demonstrate that we have considered the impact on customers as well as stakeholders Figure 3.5 highlights the key areas of uncertainty that we consider need to be appropriately managed into the future. >pg12 Business plan
Figure 3.5: Key areas of uncertainty Category Area of uncertainty Our proposed uncertainty mechanism Load Rate of take up of low carbon technologies (e.g. electric vehicles, heat pumps) time to connect A measure of the volume of work we have to undertake on our low voltage network as a result Rate of load growth due to decarbonisation of low carbon technologies connecting annual frequency Ability to predict and manage load growth Clustering regional combination of low carbon technology take up and load growth due to decarbonisation Non-load New technologies on the network (new standard of higher Re-opener in 219 specification to be rolled-out as part of non-load replacement) Cost Increase in general official measure of inflation Indexation of annual revenues Specific issues Costs of operating network business out-turns higher than forecast Higher than inflation increase in cost of material (e.g. copper, fuel) Increase in pension deficit caused by exogenous factors Government requirements to increase security standards Legislation of enable local authorities to increase charges for lane rental for essential infrastructure repair works Increased expenditure to allow network systems to recover from major national outage Increased costs of roll out of new innovations in technology Ex ante allowance with cost saving/overrun shared with customers Fixed ex ante allowance Allowed pass through of efficient costs Re-opener in 219 to allow for efficiently incurred cost increases Re-opener in 219 to allow for efficiently incurred cost increases Re-opener in 219 to allow for efficiently incurred cost increases Re-opener in 219 to allow for efficiently incurred cost increases Our expenditure plans Our plan is created to ensure the delivery of the commitments we are making and to ensure we meet our statutory obligations (placed upon us through legislation, regulations and our licence). Taking all of the assumptions, risks and uncertainties into account we have developed our view of expenditure for the period from 215 to 223. Overall our future plans as presented in this document are largely a continuation of today, with the addition of increasing prominence of low carbon technologies on our network (including wind generation), smart metering and the enabling steps for the future smart grid. We are expecting a return to more normal levels of reinforcement on our network as economic growth returns. Our final business plan in 213 will reflect the impact of smart alternatives to traditional network reinforcement, including demand side reduction, more automation and controls and other innovative solutions. These are not included in the current draft plan, and should reduce costs further. The following charts show what we consider to be an efficient level of expenditure to deliver the outputs, meet our obligations and responsibilities and allow us to finance our business. Across our three networks we are forecasting to spend 7.4bn in 215 to 223 before inflation. This is an increase of.8bn on the equivalent forecast for the current 21-215 period. The increase is primarily driven by increased work volumes and by our strategic investments in Central London, EPN wind infrastructure and smart meter readiness, offset by reductions in unit costs and in overheads savings. Total EPN forecast expenditure for the period 215 to 223 = 3.1 billion Our plans for EPN include our current estimates of strategic investments in network capacity to support lower cost connection of renewable generation and for the smart meter roll-out. Figure 3.6: EPN total forecast expenditure from 215 to 223 Forecast plan period 215 to 223 (RIIO-ED1) ( bn) Total 3.1bn 6.8.1.1 Load related.6 Non load related.6.9 Network operating costs Indirect costs Non operational capex RPEs 6 All prices are real 212 prices for ease of comparison Business plan >pg13
l Total LPN forecast expenditure for the period 215 to 223 = 2.3 billion Our plans for LPN include our current estimates of strategic investments in network capacity to support the growth in London and for the smart meter roll-out. Figure 3.7: LPN total forecast expenditure from 215 to 223 Forecast plan period 215 to 223 (RIIO-ED1) ( bn) Total 2.3bn 5.5.3.1.1 Load related.6.7 Total SPN forecast expenditure for the period 215 to 223 = 2.1 billion Our plans for SPN include our current estimates of strategic investments in network capacity to support the smart meter roll-out. Figure 3.8: SPN total forecast expenditure from 215 to 223 Forecast plan period 215 to 223 (RIIO-ED1) ( bn) Total 2.1bn 5.5 Finances and customer bills Non load related Network operating costs Indirect costs Non operational capex RPEs.1 Load related.1.4 Non load related.4.6 Network operating costs Indirect costs Non operational capex RPEs Our expenditure is paid for through the bills customers receive from their electricity supplier. Our revenues amount to around 18 per cent of the average bill. Figures 3.9 and 3.1 present a forecast of the average domestic and non-domestic bills may change and how that compares today to other distribution network companies (DNO). Currently our tariffs are amongst the lowest in Great Britain. Overall we expect to maintain our contribution to electricity bills at constant levels in real terms from 215 for LPN and SPN and from 219 for EPN through to 223. Excluding the impact of the charges we pay National Grid, our revenues would fall on average for our three networks in real terms over 215-223. Figure 3.9: Forecast impact on a typical domestic bill 7 (212 prices) 16 14 12 1 8 6 4 2 29 21 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 22 221 222 223 EPN SPN DNO average forecast Figure 3.1: Forecast impact on a typical non-domestic bill 7 (212 prices) 45 4 35 3 25 2 15 1 5 This forecast business plan should see each of our networks remain amongst the lowest cost electricity distribution companies in Great Britain. 7 All prices are real 212 prices for ease of comparison LPN DNO average Highest cost DNO 29 21 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 22 221 222 223 EPN SPN DNO average forecast LPN DNO average Highest cost DNO >pg14 Business plan
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4 UK Power Networks and our step change in performance UK Power Networks was created in October 21 from the sale of EDF Energy s three electricity networks in London, the South East and East of England. We are owned by the Cheung Kong Group and the Li Ka Shing Foundation, long term investors in utility infrastructure worldwide. Our vision is to deliver top third performance in our industry in the key areas of safety, network reliability, customer service, cost efficiency and employee engagement. We have delivered a step change in performance over the last two years. Customer minutes lost are down 41.5 per cent, complaints are down 81 per cent and our overhead costs are down 19 per cent. This chapter explains where we operate, our corporate ownership, our vision, and the industry framework. It also summarises the improvements we have made and how we will continue to improve our performance with innovative thinking for the rest of our current price control period to 215. >pg16 Business plan
4.1 Where we operate We work in some of the most densely populated areas of the country and in some of the most rural. Our London network delivers more energy per km 2 than any other network within the UK. Our other networks extend from suburban London into the largely rural counties and down to the south coast of England as well as north into East Anglia. Eastern Power Networks (EPN) supplies electricity over an area of approximately 2,3 Km 2 incorporating all of the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Hertfordshire, most of Cambridgeshire, Essex and Bedfordshire, parts of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, and the northern suburbs of Greater London. London Power Networks (LPN) supplies over two million customers within an area of only 665 Km 2. It is almost entirely urban and serves the most densely populated region in the country. Almost all of the network is underground, helping us to give London the most reliable electricity distribution system in the UK. South Eastern Power Networks (SPN) supplies electricity over an area of approximately 8,2 Km 2, incorporating all of Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex and much of Surrey. In addition large urban conurbations not only exist in the areas bounding London, such as Croydon, but also in each county in the area. Figure 4.1 Kilometres of underground cable Kilometres of overhead lines Number of substations Number of transformers Peak demand (MW) South East of London East England Total 3, 33, 35, 98, n/a 12,3 53, 65,3 17,3 38,7 79,6 135,6 15,4 35,2 71,2 121,8 5,23 3,976 6,586 n/a Business plan >pg17
Figure 4.2 Our service area covers 28 per cent of UK electricity consumption 37 per cent of the UK by GDP London a major world city Highly rural areas in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk We take on challenges faced by no other DNOs Load density LPN is over 15 times that of the next highest DNO Major point loads in the City, the West End and Canary Wharf Terrorism and security challenges 4.2 Our ownership structure The owners of UK Power Networks are experienced in the utility business and are long-term investors in infrastructure. Figure 4.3 Cheung Kong Infrastructure An investor in utility infrastructure worldwide The integrated electricity utility for Hong Kong island and an investor in energy utilities world wide A charitable organisation founded by Li Ka Shing 4% 4% 2% Eastern Power Networks plc our network for the East London Power Networks plc our network for London South Eastern Power Networks plc our network for the South East UK Networks Services Holdings Ltd our private networks for airports, rail and defence clients UK Power Networks is owned by a consortium of three partners. The consortium constitutes a robust, well-capitalised shareholder group which has significant global experience in the ownership and operation of utility and infrastructure businesses. The strong, stable regulatory framework in the UK has been a key factor in attracting investors of the stature of the UK Power Networks ownership group. Such investors, with significant experience in international utilities and infrastructure assets, who look to invest for the longer term, will be key players in delivering the necessary investment required to meet the UK s future energy and environmental challenges. All three owners are committed to long-term ownership of UK Power Networks and to supporting our vision and values. 4.3 Our vision and values Our corporate vision is to achieve top-third performance amongst our electricity distribution peers and establish UK Power Networks as: An employer of choice A respected corporate citizen Sustainably cost efficient >pg18 Business plan
The following diagram shows what we mean by this: Figure 4.4 Safe employees and contractors Aligned objectives and targets Clear roles, accountabilities and strong leadership Pride in working for UK Power Networks Employees who feel recognised, developed and rewarded A mutually constructive relationship with the unions Committed to personal and career development Embrace diversity and inclusiveness Keep the public safe High levels of consumer satisfaction A regulatory relationship characterised by mutual respect Improved network service with increased reliability and rapid restoration A competitive connections service Recognised community involvement Respect for our environment Meet the expectations of all our stakeholders including Ofgem Outperformed Ofgem allowances for capex and direct and indirect opex An upper third ranking forecast efficiency by April 214 Well managed asset development Effective governance and performance management Sustainable levels of free cash flow Continually improve processes and systems Our values form the basis of who we want to be Our vision is supported by our values. Our values set out what we expect from ourselves and those who work with us. They form the basis of the way we do business and how we will achieve our vision. We have taken the time to learn from our past performance and how we can best deliver our vision. Figure 4.5 Integrity We will do what we say we will do and build trust and confidence by being honest to ourselves, our colleagues, our partners and our customer Continuous improvement We are committed to learning, development, innovation and achievement Diversity and inclusiveness We recognise and encourage the value which difference and constructive challenge can bring Respect We treat our colleagues and our customers the way in which we would want to be treated Responsibility We always act in an ethical, safe and socially/ environmentally aware manner Unity We are stronger together and this comes from a shared vision, a common purpose, supportive and collaborative working Our values Our values are the DNA of our business; they will help us to deliver our Vision To become an organisation which is an Employer of Choice, a respected Corporate Citizen and Sustainably Cost Efficient Business plan >pg19
4.4 Our legal and regulatory framework Our three networks operate within a legislative and regulatory framework determined by primary legislation, including the Electricity Act 1989, the Utilities Act 2 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Our networks operate under electricity distribution licences overseen by Ofgem which defines the broad range of licensed activities and responsibilities, and set out the rules and standards to which the network companies must adhere. Our current plan for 21 to 215 was agreed with Ofgem as part of the Distribution Price Control Review number five (DPCR5). This laid out our plans from 21 to 215. DPCR5 was set under the RPI-X price control regime. The RPI-X regime has at its heart a drive for continued efficiency improvement. In addition to efficiency we are subject to a number of other incentives including those on network reliability and customer service. These supplement the guaranteed standards of performance that we are required to deliver. During DPCR5 further focus has also been given to environmental issues through the provision of schemes to support the deployment of renewable and low carbon generation. These schemes provided funding arrangements and incentives to encourage the network companies to deliver what customers value, such as undergrounding of our lines in areas of outstanding natural beauty. In 29, Ofgem updated its RPI-X approach to network price controls introducing the RIIO Revenue = Incentives + Innovation + Outputs framework. This provides a broader toolkit with which the network companies and Ofgem can better address the future challenges faced by the UK in its transition to an affordable, secure and low carbon electricity industry. RIIO is the regulatory framework that will apply going forward for setting the revenue we can collect from our customers. It aims to provide benefits for customers and ensure sustainability of our businesses. The framework will apply to us for the first time in RIIO-ED1 through which we will agree with Ofgem our forecast business plan for the period from 215 to 223. The process is well underway and we will submit our final draft business plan to Ofgem in July 213. Our plan aims to address the objectives of the RIIO framework: Long-term value for money for our customers Facilitate transition to a low carbon economy Outputs focussed at the heart of our plan is the commitment to the efficient delivery of specified outputs Stakeholder led outputs, levels and expenditure and the impact upon customer bills reflect the view expressed by our stakeholders A strong incentive for efficient delivery the plan is based on industry leading levels of efficiency and continuing productivity and service improvement Requirement for innovation the plan includes a strategy for innovation to address the key challenges in the forecast business plan period and beyond Ensuring investment is financeable the plan includes a fully justified and financeable package that maintains investment grade credit ratings The outputs will form a contract between us and our customers. Ofgem arranges the outputs across six categories: Safety Reliability and availability Customer service Conditions for connections Environmental Social obligations As part of this business plan we have set out the outputs we plan to deliver. Throughout the development of our plan we will consult with our stakeholders to ensure our target measures meet their expectations. >pg2 Business plan