SSEN Transmission says it has helped deliver almost £300m of savings for GB electricity consumers over the last financial year, after changing how the north of Scotland’s power grid is run during major upgrade works. The company estimates that its interventions cut “constraint costs” – the expense of managing bottlenecks on the system – by £296m in 2025–26 under a performance incentive overseen by the National Energy System Operator (NESO).
A significant share of the savings has been linked to new ways of operating the network in Aberdeenshire, where SSEN Transmission is carrying out large‑scale upgrades to accommodate growing volumes of renewable power. By reconfiguring existing assets and using more flexible tools, the company has kept more low‑carbon electricity flowing rather than paying generators to switch off, which it argues reduces overall system costs that ultimately feed through to bills.
SSEN Transmission frames the results as proof that smarter day‑to‑day decisions can offset some of the near‑term costs of the UK’s energy transition.
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The company said: “Reducing constraint costs is an important part of delivering a fair and efficient electricity system for consumers, and the nearly £300m in savings estimated by NESO for 2025/26 shows the practical steps we are taking, in collaboration with NESO, to manage the network more efficiently whilst building the infrastructure necessary for the future.”
Looking ahead, the transmission owner is planning more than £29bn of investment in the north of Scotland to connect new offshore and onshore renewables and reinforce the backbone of the GB system, a programme it says will support tens of thousands of jobs and unlock more cheap, clean power over the long term. As similar operational solutions are rolled out more widely across its network, SSEN Transmission expects “additional savings for consumers” in future years.
