Ofgem proposes central register to track smaller electrical assets

Ofgem has proposed the creation of a new central register for smaller electrical assets, which could ultimately help streamline network planning. 

According to the regulator, distribution network operators (DNOs) estimate that fewer than half of small-scale distributed energy assets are currently registered with them. As these technologies continue to proliferate, this is becoming a bigger problem for DNOs, as they’re left without a complete picture of the equipment actually connected to their network. 

The planned central register would focus on assets below 1MW, particularly those below 50kW, which is where information gaps are reportedly most acute. This will include EV chargers, solar panels, batteries and heat pumps, all of which are growing in popularity. 

The proliferation of those technologies has been making it harder for DNOs to plan upgrades. After all, a neighbourhood with growing numbers of EV chargers and heat pumps could need significantly more electricity at certain times of the day, but if the DNO is unaware of the scale of the problem, it may not have planned for that eventuality. 

While the central register could help plan future upgrades more effectively, Ofgem believes it could also help network operators make better use of existing infrastructure and avoid unnecessary upgrades.

Improving the quality of asset records

However, a central register will only be useful if the information going into it is accurate.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is separately pursuing legislation to clarify installers' responsibilities for registering equipment with DNOs.

It is also supporting work led by the Energy Networks Association and MCS to develop a single notification process, reducing the need for installers to submit similar information through multiple systems.

Those reforms are intended to improve the number and quality of installations being reported. Ofgem's register would then make that information easier to maintain and share with authorised organisations, rather than introducing new installer notification obligations itself.

ElectraLink emerges as preferred provider

Following an earlier consultation in December 2025, Ofgem has narrowed its delivery options to two potential platforms: ElectraLink's EMPRIS and Elexon's Flexibility Market Asset Registration system.

Although both are considered capable of supporting the register, Ofgem currently favours ElectraLink because its platform is already operational and is considered more ready for deployment. Elexon's system is still under development.

No final decision has been made, with the consultation remaining open until December 7, 2026.

Under ElectraLink's proposed timetable, an initial version focused on DNO requirements could be delivered by the final quarter of 2027, followed by broader deployment in early 2028.

Those dates remain dependent on Ofgem's final decision, of course, which is due in Spring 2027.