GIS Boundaries for GB Grid Supply Points

This dataset contains approximate GIS (Geographic Information System) geospatial boundaries associated with each of the Grid Supply Points (GSPs) on the GB transmission network. GSPs are points of connection between the Transmission System and a Distribution System. This includes Offshore Transmission; a GSP exists for when an offshore wind farm connects to a Distribution System.

The files include the GSP ID as registered with Elexon. This enables the end user to link the regions to the GSP Period Data available on Elexon’s Open Settlement Data webpage.

The GSP boundaries are used for regional modelling of the GB electricity transmission network, for example to aggregate distributed embedded generator energy flows onto the transmission network. This includes the regional FES analysis and the Regional PV_Live outturn estimates published by The University of Sheffield.

There are multiple versions of the GIS boundaries, with older versions maintained here for posterity. A changelog explains the major differences between recent versions.

In early versions the boundaries have been derived by generating Thiessen polygons around the lowest level grid asset for which we have a topological lookup back to GSP. In some cases, this means Thiessen polygons have been generated around Distribution Network Operator (DNO) assets (e.g. Bulk Supply Points, Primary Substations etc) and these Thiessen polygons have been aggregated up to GSP level using topological lookups provided by the DNOs, in other cases no DNO asset GIS data was available in time for the dataset release and the GSP boundary is a single Thiessen polygon. Over the years we have improved the resolution of the boundaries as more data has become available. In places we have incorporated the GSP boundaries produced by the DNOs (who follow similar processes to generate these) now that the DNOs are producing and publishing these themselves.

The GSP boundaries have been clipped to the DNO Licence Area boundaries, except where GIS data from DNOs provided evidence of a DNO serving demand in a neighbouring DNO Licence Area through an Inter-GSP-Group Connection point with the neighbouring DNO. Some GSPs have been grouped together because it was either not possible to discern which geographical regions they each serve or the area is geographic region is served by a GSP connecting to the onshore Transmission System and a GSP connecting to an offshore wind farm (Offshore Transmission).

The 20181031 version of the dataset includes a lookup between GSPs and so-called Gnodes and Direct Connects. Gnodes are an entity used by teams within NESO for the purposes of modelling and monitoring the transmission network. In most cases there is a “ONE : ONE” relationship between “GSP : Gnode”, but occasionally a Gnode can represent several GSPs (“ONE Gnode : MANY GSPs”) and in some cases a Gnode represents an asset on the distribution network. In general, the relationship between GSPs and Gnodes is “MANY : MANY”. A Direct Connect represents demand connected directly to the transmission network. They are included in this dataset because they may theoretically host embedded generation and/or may form part of a MANY : MANY relationship with a Gnode.