Electricity distribution network operator UK Power Networks has installed the UK’s first smart substation in Maidstone, Kent.

The substation was installed at the Allington Energy from Waste plant. As part of the trial, UK Power plans to install five more smart substations throughout the Southeast of England.

The substation is part of the operator's Constellation trial, which aims to install powerful computers in existing substations to better analyze power flow, redirect energy, optimize infrastructure, and accommodate future needs.

Constellation aims to release 1.4GW of capacity and save consumers more than £750 million ($925.5m) by 2050. The trial, which has a budget of £17.82 million ($29.98m), ends in September 2026.

Luca Grella, head of innovation at UK Power Networks, said: “This is a groundbreaking innovation for our network and the first of a series of smart substations that could make a real difference for our customers and the environment.”

The smart substations will use artificial intelligence and machine learning to support better energy flow to the network and, according to the operator, accelerate the UK’s transition to net zero.

If the trial is successful, the company says strategically positioned smart substations could free up to 50 percent of additional capacity for network operators.

UK Power partnered with GE Vernova on the substation project. GE Vernova has installed its PhasorController in the substation to enable the deployment of multiple smart applications.

According to the company, PhasorController distributes intelligence and control to the substation and distributed energy resource (DER) connections to complement the existing central control, providing resilience and continuity of DER operation when communications links are unavailable.

The controller trains machine learning models centrally and distributes them to the local renewable generation controls so they are ready to go live if/when communications are lost.

"We already have smart control rooms and grid Edge devices like smart electric vehicle chargers. Having smart substations in the middle pulling it all together is a logical next step,” said Ian Cameron, head of customer services and innovation at UK Power Networks.