Network

NETWORK / 20 / MAY 2020 CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE nection and disconnection of temporary generators to sustain electricity supplies and/or the undertaking of critical works to ensure the safety of the public from the electricity supply net- work. Non-PAI short duration interruptions, for example to remove generators or to replace disconnected jumpers a• er fault repair, are una• ected." Where essential works are going ahead, Stratton identi- ed the importance of communicat- ing with relevant customers how these activities will be com- pleted. "Our customer services team has maintained close contact with our customers," he says. "This ensures that where works are critical, the customer is reassured of how we will com- plete them while also achieving social distancing. And also that the customer is prepared as to what precautions we expect to protect our sta• ." Finally, responding to con- cerns that have been aired about the current resilience of net- works in the event that Covid-19 pressures are overlaid with other strains on operations, Stratton adds: "We have also in our planning determined how we would be able to e• ectively react to a weather event through this period of lockdown." Staying connected With so much continuous change to working practices required, it is of course essential that there is common under- standing of planned actions, policies and prioirities across network management teams and between management and the workforce at large. UKPN, which employs around 6,000 people, has been acutely aware of this need for enhanced communications since the early days of the coronavirus outbreak in the UK. Daily management team brie- ngs are held to review how key messages have landed with the workforce and to ensure an aligned view of how upcoming messages will be delivered. In addition, chief executive Basil Scarsella hosts a daily online Q&A session which is open to all employees so that concerns and queries about the organisation's response to the pandemic can be challenged and explained. He also hosts a daily video brie- ng to update sta• on key developments. Stratton says that establish- ing aligned, transparent, regular and multi-channel communi- cations has been essential to ensuring UKPN's coronavirus response is robust, especially with such a large volume of workers in back o— ce roles now operating from home. "We have successfully over a very short period transferred the bulk of our o— ce workforce to working from home," he says. "In addition to the IT challenges this has posed we have also needed to adapt very quickly and introduce new ways of maintaining good communica- tions with all of our sta• ." But it's not just formal com- munications that are impor- tant in these unsettling times. Providing for informal social interaction is also a must for maintaining morale. "We have tried to keep as much of normal life going as possible with Skype generally used for regular meetings and other initiatives deployed to help keep all sta• informed, engaged and critically part of the social group they regularly work in, to ensure no one feels isolated," he says. And it's key that employers ensure no worker is le• behind."We have stepped up support for sta• who are very unfamiliar with remote working." Over the coming weeks, Network will continue to follow the evolving resilience strategies of all UK energy networks, with a particular focus on measures to protect employee wellbe- ing, including mental health. As the pandemic continues to claim lives and keep millions of households in isolation, creative and proactive measures to get ahead of anxiety, depression and loneliness will be essential, not only for sustaining morale, but also for protecting produc- tivity and resilient operations. Network caught up with Adam Giblin, director of operations at Leep Utilities to learn more about the independent DNO and its aspirations in the UK's competitive connections market. Q How big is Leep's independent DNO (IDNO) operation? Leep Utilities has business models ranging from small individual I&C connections (c500kVA) up to primary substations and strategic mixed use masterplan developments (30MVA+). The clients we work with include utility brokers, residential developers, independent connection providers (ICPs) and industrial customers, as direct contacts. Q What are your aspirations in the market? As a business, we've grown rapidly since fi rst launching in 2017 and the IDNO market remains a massive opportunity for further growth. The business has a reputation for offering landmark schemes and the best possible deals and this puts Leep Utilities in a strong position to be recognised as a major industry player. Q What's your USP for clients? The innovation that Leep Utilities brings to our schemes is one of pace and process. Our 'Straightforward Connections' tagline alludes to the fact that we pride ourselves on clearing some of the bottlenecks that developers and ICPs can, sometimes, experience when dealing with utilities. We achieve this by being clear on our customer promise, then working with our clients to build trust through successful schemes until we are considered a 'go to' partner for future projects. Q Do you think the connections market in the UK is suffi ciently competitive? The electricity infrastructure adoption market is one of the more developed within the utility industry, with a healthy level of competition. That said, the market does need to do more to get the option of independent adoption out there and more visible to developers and potential clients. I would argue that there are still too many parties that don't know that an IDNO, like ourselves, is an option or what benefi ts we can offer. This is something that Leep Utilities is continuously pushing to address and look forward to this approach being the norm. C O M P E T I T I V E C O N N E C T I O N S

• Cover