Project VOLT secures £500,000 funding boost

A North East energy innovation programme is moving into its next phase after securing fresh funding to strengthen resilience at critical industrial and commercial sites.

Project VOLT has entered its proof-of-concept stage after being awarded an additional £500,000 from Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund. 

Officials say the funding will support further development of hybrid, dual-fuel microgrids designed to improve energy resilience, efficiency and flexibility for high-demand sites across the region.

Emma Carr, senior consultant at LCP Delta and project director for VOLT, said: “With demand rising, Project VOLT offers a real opportunity for regional and national networks to work together to strengthen infrastructure resilience.

 “This phase allows us to work more closely with a wide range of industrial and commercial sites and set out a clear, practical route to real-world demonstrations, with the potential to be replicated across Great Britain and deliver wider economic value.”

The project builds on earlier work that highlighted the potential for microgrids to cut peak electricity demand by up to 30 per cent, reduce carbon emissions and energy costs by as much as 80 per cent, and provide near-complete coverage for essential operations during power outages.

Led by LCP Delta on behalf of Northern Powergrid, the initiative brings together partners including Newcastle University, EDF, Northern Gas Networks and Wales & West Utilities. 

The next phase will involve detailed modelling and simulations with sites such as the Port of Tyne, Newcastle Airport, Severfield and digital infrastructure operator Pulsant.

Findings from the work are expected to inform future regional energy planning and help shape scalable low-carbon energy solutions across the country.

Duncan Oliphant, head of commercial flexibility at Northern Powergrid, added: “We’re proud to be leading VOLT as it progresses into its proof‑of‑concept phase. 

“Flexibility sits at the core of this project, helping us design solutions that genuinely support large energy users and critical sites while easing pressure on the wider grid. 

“By enabling these sites to manage their energy more efficiently, we can reduce peak demand, improve resilience, and unlock capacity.

“This funding gives us the opportunity to test those ideas in more depth with our partners, strengthening the evidence base for cleaner, smarter and more reliable energy systems that can be scaled across the region and, ultimately, across Great Britain.”

Keith Owen, head of energy futures at Northern Gas Networks, added: “Project VOLT presents a great opportunity for networks to work together in defining the potential for microgrids, both to strengthen energy resilience and reduce emissions through cross-vector collaboration.”

Haris Patsios, professor in smart energy systems, joint director of Newcastle University’s centre of excellence in energy, added: “Accelerating clean power growth while maintaining energy system resilience requires us to come up with, and demonstrate, smarter ways to operate our energy networks at the local and regional level, on top of any other consideration. 

“Working with our industry partners at Newcastle University's Centre for Energy, we will be demonstrating new ways to transform and enable large commercial and industrial sites to operate as sources of flexible clean power, while also unlocking new pathways for growth.”

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