Generators connected to the electricity network are urged to claim thousands of pounds in funding before Apil this year to help them carry out necessary work to boost network resilience. As well as being paid to make the change, a ‘fast track scheme’  pays generators that meet certain criteria and have a minimum capacity of 500kW an extra £5,000 if they are able to complete the work within four weeks of applying for funding. Owners of these sites are encouraged to apply before April 2021.

The companies have to adjust generator set points to stop them disconnecting too quickly in response to minor disturbances in the grid, which can cause a ‘cascade’ as more and more plants disconnect, eventually making an outage out of a temporary grid disturbance. Temporary disconnections  can also be unsafe and lead to damage to the generator and anything the generator is powering, such as domestic appliances.  

Upgrades are likely to be required on every form of non-domestic generation connected to the grid before February 2018, but the Programme is particularly keen to hear from sites that use Rate of Change of Frequency (RoCoF) settings to help improve network resilience quickly.   Funding is available via the Accelerated Loss of Mains Change Programme (ALoMCP), details here. Generators who do not apply for grants to do the reset by 10 May, and complete by 22 May, will receive less funding.

As of January 2021, 10.7GW of capacity at 5994 sites have had their applications approved, to receive  £20.2M funding. Changes have already been made at 3134 sites.

Two levels of funding are available for generators required to incorporate the changes. If, as in most cases, a simple protection device settings change is required, the generator will receive £1,500 for the first change and an additional £500 per relay after that, up to a maximum of five relays, totalling £4,000. If relays require replacing, generators can receive £4,000 towards replacing each relay.

Mark Dunk, Head of Engineering at Energy Networks Association, said: “If you own or operate a generator connected to the distribution network, we really encourage you to apply now to the Accelerated Loss of Mains Change Programme. By applying, you could be paid thousands of pounds in the next few months when you make mandatory protection changes. These must be made by 1 September 2022, even if you haven’t applied to the programme.  

“This vital cross-industry collaborative programme will help to make Britain’s electricity networks more resilient and help the move towards a smarter, Net Zero emissions grid.”

Find out more about the ALoMCP programme here 

Further reading

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