Centrica inks demand side response deal with Japan’s TEPCO

The Japanese firm will be using the UK energy giant’s DSR platform to provide the transmission system operator with flexibility services for the reserve market

Centrica has signed an agreement with Japanese power company TEPCO to provide industrial demand side response (DSR) services for the nation’s grid.

TEPCO Ventures will be using the UK energy giant’s DSR platform to provide the transmission system operator with flexibility services for the reserve market in the Kyushu region.

FlexPond will be delivered under an innovative commercial “sofware as a service” model, which allows utilities to use the platform to build their own virtual power plants (VPPs) and deliver DSR capability through a variety of flexible generation and demand facilities.

VPPs enable assets such as renewable generators and energy storage facilities to be managed as a single unit.

Pieter-Jan Mermans, Global Optimisation Director for Centrica Business Solutions said: “We are delighted to be supporting TEPCO in their mission to drive forward demand response in Japan, harnessing the power of flexible industrial demand while securing a new revenue stream for their customer base.

“At Centrica we believe that one of our key responsibilities is to help our customers reduce their carbon footprint. Building virtual power plants that mitigate the need to build new fossil-fuelled plants is a key part of that so giving other energy and utility companies access to our software is an important way for us to support global decarbonisation efforts.”

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