National Grid has teamed up with Atos to launch a new digital twin and data visualisation tool intended to speed up electricity network planning as demand grows to meet decarbonisation targets across the UK.
The tool, dubbed Triton, provides a long-term view of expected electricity demand growth across the network by mapping forecasts at grid supply points and transmission substations. This, the companies argue, should help target investment and reinforcement to the areas most likely to need upgrades.
It works by creating a digital replica of National Grid’s physical infrastructure, using the underlying data to run network scenarios. It’s claimed that the approach can reduce the time required to analyse options and decide where to reinforce the network by 70%.
At a time when the grid is under pressure from electrification – including electric vehicles, heat pumps, large industrial loads and the rapid growth of data centres – tools that can reduce planning friction are increasingly being positioned as part of the solution. While Triton will not remove the need for physical build-out, the promise is that it helps reduce the time it takes to get from ‘we know demand is coming’ to ‘we know where to invest first’.
If that 70% reduction holds up in day-to-day use, the knock-on effect could be meaningful. Network planning can become a bottleneck when projects stack up – not just in generation and storage, but in high-demand connections that require complex modelling and reinforcement. Cutting analysis time won’t automatically solve constraints such as planning permission, supply chain delays, or lead times for major equipment, but it could help decision-makers move faster once the engineering questions have been answered.
UK Power Networks has already demonstrated the impact of tools that help improve the planning phase of network infrastructure improvements. While that example reduced the disruption that electrical engineering works have, National Grid is targeting an approach that will speed up how quickly it can deal with network capacity constraints.
Owen Wilkes, National Grid’s Network Design Director, noted, “Triton demonstrates how innovation, data and technology can drive positive change and accelerate progress towards our decarbonisation goals. Through our collaboration with Atos we have created a product that will enable National Grid to virtually model scenarios for how, when and where we expand our network and services to meet increased demand for energy, ensuring we continue to deliver a resilient, future-ready electricity network.”
Graham Scanlon, Atos UK&I’s Head of Critical National Infrastructure, added, “This tool will improve efficiency and remove risk for National Grid. They can now make smart data-based decisions quickly. We’re pleased to have been able to support both their current operations and needs but also on their future business. We are continually innovating on how to use technology to meet the challenge of climate change and shifting geo-political winds.”
How Triton works
Triton is built from thousands of datasets made available by distribution network operators and transmission owners. Its core functionality, according to Atos and National Grid, is:
- Map future demand at grid supply points and transmission substations to provide long-term planning insight
- Consolidate large volumes of data from across the electricity system into a single environment
- Enable scenario modelling to identify where reinforcement or new infrastructure is likely to be required
- Support assessment of future customer connections, including data centres and embedded generation, on local and regional capacity
- Feed into deeper monitoring and engineering tools used by National Grid, speeding up model configuration and allowing faster stress-testing of options
