Our Mission

Rising to the energy telecoms challenge.

The UK energy networks are undergoing unprecedented change to enable a low-carbon, affordable, flexible, secure, resilient and independent energy system. The increasing volume of distributed generation, storage, electrified transport and flexible demand makes the network significantly more dynamic, complex and challenging to control; fundamentally changing how networks operate.

To manage this complexity, we need end-to-end intelligent and connected networks. Visibility and control are fundamental to the secure operation of the energy network: visibility to understand, and control to enable action – with every intelligent device depending on resilient communications. Without resilient communications: visibility is lost, automation fails, resilience decreases, restoration slows and customer connections take longer. The resilient communication network underpinning the energy infrastructure is the backbone of the future digitalised energy system.

Our mission

Energy Connect supports its members as they deploy the telecoms infrastructure that underpins energy security, resilience and independence in the UK.

We help to shape flexible, future-proof operational telecoms systems to monitor, control and manage the UK’s diversified, digitalised energy networks while ensuring efficient radio spectrum management. Our work is fundamental to mitigating risks in digital energy systems – enabling the communications systems that keep electricity and gas flowing. As the energy landscape transforms and embraces greater digitalisation, our role in safeguarding operational telecoms and protecting members’ use of radio frequency spectrum has never been more important to UK energy security, sustainability and independence.

A sector in flux: adapting to a diversifying energy landscape

UK energy networks are becoming increasingly complex. The old model of centralised, predictable power stations feeding the grid is transforming into something far more intricate. This more complex, low-inertia energy network requires even greater visibility and control to ensure the overall stability and availability of the grid.

Renewable generators now sit alongside traditional gas-fired power stations feeding electricity into the transmission grid, while multiple smaller-scale embedded energy sources – from rooftop solar panels to battery storage sites – feed into local distribution networks. Low-carbon generation brings greater energy independence and flexibility to the network, but also greater unpredictability and the risk of instability – requiring enhanced visibility and control of these assets to ensure safe and secure network operation.

Every one of the energy flows in this complex network needs to be monitored, controlled and managed in real time by smart digital technologies – keeping supply and demand in balance across the UK, every second of every day. Providing the network-wide visibility needed to control these digitalised energy systems requires telecoms infrastructure of extraordinary sophistication – infrastructure that is resilient, secure and capable of monitoring millions of data exchanges across today’s digital energy networks. Energy Connect is the organisation that designs and develops these unseen telecoms systems on behalf of the UK energy industry. As wireless technology advances, we work with industry partners and academia to advance our own capabilities and embrace innovation – so we can unlock new connectivity solutions for energy network operators.

Here's how we do it:

Network design

Our specialists provide network and infrastructure design and consultancy services across the full range of operational telecoms technologies – public and private mobile networks, dedicated telemetry solutions, satellite and more.
Long-term spectrum access

Radio frequency spectrum is a finite national resource. For six decades, Energy Connect – formerly JRC – has coordinated the spectrum allocated to the energy sector to enable the most efficient use of the limited resources available.
Speaking up for the sector

Energy Connect represents the operational telecoms needs of the energy sector to Ofcom, government bodies and international standards organisations.
Sharing knowledge

We bring the latest technologies and solutions in operational telecoms to our members through workshops and training events.