SMPnet Secures UK Power Networks Contract for Wide-Area Grid Optimisation

Grid tech company, SMPnet, has announced its successful participation in the Constellation Open Innovation Competition (OIC), securing a new contract with UK Power Networks to implement its Omega suite for adaptive grid optimisation and real-time control.

The Constellation project, spearheaded by UK Power Networks in collaboration with Power Networks Demonstration Centre (PNDC), is designed to accelerate the integration of next-generation digital grid technologies in virtualised substations. The project marks a major leap toward the UK’s net-zero ambitions, demonstrating how advanced digitalisation can unlock hidden grid capacity, prevent congestion-driven curtailments, and intelligently coordinate distributed energy resources (DERs). 

Luca Grella, head of innovation at UK Power Networks, said: “This competition has shown the strength of collaboration across our industry. We’ve uncovered exciting new solutions that have the potential to reshape how our substations operate, helping us build a smarter, more responsive, and lower-carbon electricity network.” 

By leveraging real-time optimisation and control solutions embedded within the underlying SCADA/DERMS systems, the project will enable smarter, self-optimising grid segments (including substations), maximising the efficiency of renewable integration while reducing operational constraints such as voltage violations.

SMPnet will deploy a solution that seamlessly integrates with Constellation’s virtual substation environment, offering real-time grid visibility, wide-area voltage optimisation and millisecond-level real-time control for dynamic grid operations and stability enhancement.  

Anastasios Rousis, CEO at SMPnet commented, “We are excited to be part of UK Power Networks' Constellation initiative, a game-changer for the digitalisation of power distribution. Our Omega suite is the world’s first autonomous power grid management software, readily available as a virtualised solution and we look forward to deploying it as a solution within the Constellation project. With Omega’s real-time analytics, adaptive optimisation, and millisecond-level control, we are set to demonstrate how digital twins, optimisation and control can revolutionise grid management, enabling a smarter, more flexible power system.”

SMPnet will begin deployment of its Omega suite within the summer of 2025, working closely with UK Power Networks and PNDC to validate performance in real-world grid conditions. The project will serve as a blueprint for wider industry adoption, demonstrating the transformative impact of virtualisation-ready digital substations  and autonomous grid management solutions.

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