UK Power Networks: Powering a smarter, more efficient energy future

At a glance

nxzen has supported UK Power Networks in evolving into one of the UK’s highest-performing distribution network operators through large-scale transformation, modernisation and managed services.

Highlights:

• 15% reduction in operational costs, saving ~£1bn over 8 years

• 5× Utility of the Year winner

• 9.8/10 CSAT across 140+ managed business applications

• 50% faster planning and reporting cycles with a cloud-based Network Planning Tool

The Opportunity

Creating a unified, future-ready network

At the start of the partnership, UK Power Networks was operating across three licence regions, each with its own systems and processes. While this reflected its heritage, it made it harder to gain a single, real-time view of operations and scale efficiently.

Manual processes, fragmented data and multiple legacy applications increased complexity and limited the speed of decision-making. They set out to modernise its operations, improve efficiency, and deliver a consistently high-quality service to customers.

The partnership: A long-term transformation journey

nxzen partnered with UK Power Networks, to lead its IT separation from EDF Energy and establish a strong, independent technology foundation. This became the starting point for a long-term relationship built on accountability, delivery and continuous innovation.

Over 15 years, the partnership has expanded to include enterprise transformation, managed services, data and AI, and network innovation – helping them continuously improve performance and unlock new capabilities.

The work: Building a smarter, connected network

Enterprise transformation

We unified UK Power Networks operations onto a single SAP ERP/EAM platform, standardising processes across all regions and functions.

• 137 legacy systems retired

• 3 distribution networks managed through one platform

• 3,500 field staff enabled with mobile technology

Impact: Lower costs, faster operations, and a strong foundation for scalable growth.

IT managed services

We consolidated multiple vendors into a single, accountable managed service covering 140+ business applications.

• Migration of 100+ applications to Azure

• 60% reduction in technical debt

• 99.5% application availability

Impact: Fewer incidents, faster resolution, and consistently high service performance (9.86 CSAT).

Network planning innovation

We developed a cloud-based Network Planning Tool to bring together planning, forecasting and capacity management.

• 30–40% reduction in manual data entry

• 50% faster reporting and forecasting

• Improved visibility across the entire network

Impact: Better investment decisions and faster connections for renewable energy and EV infrastructure.

IoT and AI-enabled asset intelligence

We introduced IoT sensors and AI image recognition to improve visibility of network assets and support proactive maintenance.

• Real-time monitoring of critical infrastructure

• Automated image classification for asset inspections

• Targeted, data-driven maintenance

Impact: Improved safety, faster response times and reduced disruption for customers.

The impact: Setting the benchmark for performance

UK Power Networks has established itself as one of the UK’s leading energy distributors, consistently ranking at the top of industry performance tables.

Results include:

• Industry-leading performance across all three licence areas

• £1bn cost savings through operational efficiency

• 100% on-time regulatory delivery

• Improved safety through condition-based maintenance

• Faster customer connections and consistently high satisfaction

What’s next

The partnership continues to evolve, with a focus on expanding IoT monitoring, scaling AI capabilities and enhancing customer self-service.

Together, our partnership with Uk Power Networks is building a more resilient, efficient and data-driven energy network - ready to support the UK’s transition to a low-carbon future.

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