NERS Accreditation

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The National Electricity Registration Scheme (NERS) has been developed to allow providers (commonly known as independent connections providers) to carry our contestable connection work.

If you wish to carry out contestable connection work within the contestable market, as defined by OFGEM, you must be accredited under this scheme. Our NERS Consultants can assist you in ensuring your management systems are fully compliant with NERS accreditation requirements and will pass any 3rd party assessment.

What are the benefits?

NERS accreditation under the scheme will provide you with the following benefits:

• Accreditation recognised by all UK DNOs
• Independent assessment and registration process (provided by a third party such as Lloyds Register)
• Assignment of an accreditation mark which will represent the achievement of a high technical, quality and safety standard

All distribution network operators (DNOs) on mainland UK recognise this scheme and, provided that you hold the appropriate UK utility schemes accreditations, you the NERS provider can compete for work within the contestable connections market.

When awarding contracts to registered NERS providers, the developer, who is usually the client organisation, can be confident that once the work has been completed, the host DNO will adopt the connection for the remainder of its lifetime. All contractors who wish to undertake any part of the contestable connections process including project management, design, cable installation etc. require the relevant accreditation.

The scopes of registration are as follows:

• Design
• Project Management
• Cable laying (LV,11kV, 33kV, 132kV)
• Cable jointing (dead LV, live LV,11kV, 33kV, 132kV)
• Overhead lines wooden pole and/or steel tower (up to 132kV)
• Substation installation (up to 11kV/415V)
• Substation installation (11kV, 33kV, 132kV)
• All associated civil engineering works including excavation, cable laying and backfilling
• Network switching and intrusive cable identification.

Service

• Develop / update your current management system to ensure full compliance with NERS requirements
• Undertake a gap analysis audit against NERS accreditation / requirements and provide you a report identifying where your current management system is compliant and where improvements need to be made.
• Attend the third-party audit supporting you through the process.
• Act as your competent health and safety and NERS consultant/advisor.

For more information on NERS support, please contact one of our NERS accreditation consultants by emailing: seanr@sqrgroup.co.uk or by calling 03332244586