National Grid DSO Cuts Customer Curtailment Impact by 20%
National Grid’s Distribution System Operator (DSO) has reported significant achievements in reducing customer curtailment. In the six months from April to September 2025, the DSO successfully avoided 450 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of customer curtailment. This figure marks a 20% reduction compared to the total curtailment required for maintenance and upgrades in the previous year.
Impressive Performance Against Targets
In April 2025, the DSO set a bold target of reducing annual curtailment by 300 GWh during scheduled outages aimed at system maintenance. Remarkably, they surpassed this goal in just a few months, achieving 450 GWh by September 2025.
The Importance of Curtailment Management
During maintenance, local energy producers are requested to lower their generation. This action is crucial for ensuring safe working conditions. However, this may require sourcing energy from farther away to meet local demand. Reducing curtailment allows the DSO to maximize affordable, clean energy generated locally, benefiting National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) customers.
Quotes from Leadership
Helen Sawdon, Head of Operations at National Grid DSO, emphasized the positive outcome for local energy generators. “Beating our target is great news for local energy generators across our region, indicating ongoing growth opportunities,” she stated.
She also acknowledged the challenges of keeping the energy system reliable and safe, which necessitates temporarily removing some network equipment from service for maintenance. By effectively modeling network outages, the DSO can target curtailment precisely when and where it is needed.
Future Prospects
- Reduced curtailment leads to longer power flow from local low-carbon providers.
- This approach lowers customer bills and carbon emissions simultaneously.
- The less curtailment experienced, the more appealing it becomes for energy producers to connect to the system.
- This increases market competition, contributing to reduced energy costs.
According to DSO analysts, this positive trajectory is expected to continue, as indicated in the latest quarterly Key Performance Indicator report. Stakeholders can access this report through the DSO’s Publications Library on El-Balad.
