Summary

ESB Networks is the electricity distribution system operator (DSO), distribution asset owner (DAO), and onshore transmission asset owner (TAO) in the Republic of Ireland. They deliver and manage the performance of an electricity network that consists of almost 160,000 km of overhead lines, 28,000 km of underground cables, over 800 high voltage substations and 2.5 million demand customers.

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The Challenge

The traditional process for assessing and approving new medium voltage grid connections can be time-consuming and complex, requiring energy utilities to spend a large amount of time and resources processing applications and performing extensive network planning studies. For some applications, energy users may be informed of lengthy connection times due to network constraints, while in other cases, many studied applications are either withdrawn at the quotation stage or issued offers expire without acceptance. These are often speculative applications that could be prevented by providing greater insight into network capacity and potential connection timelines prior to application.

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The Solution: LAEP+ Connections Portal

Through the use of the LAEP+ Connections Portal, ESB Networks are trialling the self-serve connections portal that enables customers, in some regions, to pre-screen their medium voltage demand connection requirements and get an initial overview of available network capacity, estimated timelines, and cost projections.

This self-service capability offers the potential to allow prospective applicants to refine their connection requests in advance, reducing the number of applications that are withdrawn or offers that expire. This has the potential to deliver a 30% efficiency gain for ESB's network planning resources, with resulting benefits for its customers.

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Ciaran Geaney, Innovation Manager, ESB Networks

"ESB Networks is trialling self-serve, data-driven solutions to enhance our capacity screening service and explore new ways for our customers to interact with us. We will assess the outcome of the trial and report the findings with a view to constant improvement of our systems.”

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What is LAEP+ ?

The LAEP+ Connections Portal is a self-serve connection tool for DSO customers such as municipalities and developers. The portal empowers network operators to comprehensively assess the impact of new connections, while simultaneously enabling customers to receive instantaneous connection quotes, streamlining the connection process and enhancing operational efficiency.

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• Meet regulatory obligations by processing connections faster
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• Improve customer satisfaction through rapid responses
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• Save on costs by reducing the number of connection applications requiring manual assessments by engineers
  
  
  

Book your Free LAEP+ Demo with Advanced Infrastructure and learn how LAEP+ can power faster grid connections.

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