Operations Other

Gunfleet Sands Offshore Windfarm, a 172 MW offshore wind project located 7 km off the Essex coastline, began participating in UK Power Networks’ Distribution System Operator (DSO) flexibility dispatches from September 2023. The UKPN DSO case study for Gunfleet Sands specifies a “Dispatch start date September 2023” for the site, linked to its provision of Day-Ahead flexibility services in the “generation down” direction. This marks the point at which the operational wind farm started to be actively dispatched by the DSO to reduce generation on request, integrating its output more dynamically with local network needs. The case study further notes that dispatch communication is handled via email and reports that 3,270.6 MWh of flexibility had been requested up to March 2025, indicating sustained use of Gunfleet Sands within the DSO’s flexibility framework. Gunfleet Sands 1 & 2 Ltd highlights that they are pleased to provide these flexibility services, citing both additional revenue opportunities for their assets and benefits to the network operator in managing the local network and saving money for consumers. The project, a joint venture between Ørsted A/S, JERA Co. Inc., and the Development Bank of Japan Inc., has been supplying green power corresponding to the needs of around 125,000 British households since 2010, and its entry into DSO flexibility operations in September 2023 represents an important operational evolution beyond straightforward power generation.