Milestones and memories - 2023 in review

2023 has seen a number of important energy milestones for the UK.

Back in February, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) was announced, with a focus on ‘cutting bills, cutting emissions and cutting our dependence on international energy supplies’.

On 10 May, the UK hit a remarkable green energy achievement, with wind power exceeding gas generation for the very first time. However, with DESNZ’s annual energy statistics finding natural gas still plays a major role in the UK’s energy mix - making up 38% of total energy demand, and with gas demand itself rising by almost 8% - it’s clear that decarbonising the gas network must remain a top priority.

And then on 15 September, the government opened its hydrogen blending consultation - a critical next step in advancing the hydrogen economy. On 14 December, the government announced that they will be supporting the blending of up to 20% of hydrogen into Britain's gas networks. By blending up to 20% hydrogen into the gas grid with existing natural gas, around 6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions could be saved every year.

Throughout the year, Xoserve has been hard at work too.

Throughout 2023, Xoserve processed:

• Over 6 million Shipper transfers
• Over 1,500,000,000 meter readings
• Over 4,500,000 asset updates

As 2023 draws to a close,  join us as we take a look at some key Xoserve highlights from throughout the year.

New personnel and plans

In October, Steve Brittan was appointed as the new CEO of Xoserve. Having served as interim CEO before this, and with an extensive technical background, we believe Steve is the right leader to meet the challenges of the changes in the energy markets over the coming years.

In terms of our board, Mike Hogg has also been appointed as interim Chair of Xoserve.

We’ve introduced a new and improved business plan process for 2024-25, as Xoserve moves towards a more collaborative approach going forward. Our latest Business Plan (BP24) sets out the required scope and draft budget for the provision of Central Data Services during the 2024-25 financial year, as well as forecasts for the years 2025-26 and 2026-27.

During the year, Xoserve worked with the Government in the setup and administration of the Energy Price Guarantee and Energy Bill Relief Schemes, providing vital financial support to UK domestic and industrial consumers during the height of the cost of living crisis.

Celebratory milestones

From a series of firsts to some considerable accomplishments in sharing the vital work that Xoserve undertakes, 2023 has witnessed a range of milestones that we’re happy to celebrate.

• One year of our Decarb Discussions podcast series, bringing together sector experts to expand on just how we can decarbonise the gas network and explore what the road to net zero entails
• First Xoserve-hosted roundtable, gathering industry leaders to discuss the code requirements that need to be considered when developing hydrogen markets, and whether hydrogen needs its own code to support these frameworks
• First speaker event at the 2023 Energy Innovation Summit, which brings together energy system innovators and decision-makers from across the UK, with Victoria Mustard, our Decarbonisation Strategy Lead, chairing a panel discussion on hydrogen blending
• 21 training events completed, focusing on change management, processes and gas induction days
• More than 30 events attended in total, including the launch of the East Coast Hydrogen Delivery Plan at the House of Commons, the Energy UK conference and Utility Week Live

Awards and achievements

We’re extremely proud of the Xoserve finance team for collecting a highly commended award at the 2023 West Midlands Finance Awards, in the category of ‘Finance Team of the Year (10 People or Less)’. The team demonstrated excellence in their field, with proven examples of collective success from the previous 12 months.

Our credit risk and neutrality team were also re-accredited by the Chartered Institute of Credit Management, achieving a distinction. The accreditation illustrates Xoserve’s robust credit management controls and processes, as well as our commitment to continuous improvement.

Finally, in October we retained our ISO 9001: 2015 and ISO 27001: 2013 certifications, following an on-site surveillance audit from BSI.

Charity fundraising and community support

Every year, our teams nominate their chosen charity partners, with the British Heart Foundation, Fuel Bank and Cancer Research UK being this year’s choices. We’re delighted to share that so far we’ve raised an amazing £5,695 for these worthy causes.

We’ve also undertaken a number of match-giving funds for other causes that are close to the hearts of our employees. These include the Alzheimer’s Society, Breast Cancer Now, The Worcester Bowel Cancer Support Group and Red Nose Day 2023.

In November, 33 members of the Xoserve team volunteered at the Heart of England Forest in loving memory of Jane Goodes, one of our Customer Change Specialists who sadly passed away on 3 May. The team planted 637 trees in total, as well as a special memory tree in her honour.

Individuals have also completed volunteering days with the likes of Stratford Sports Club and The Wave Project in North Devon.

A big thank you to all our team for the energy and efforts in supporting these important charities and causes in 2023.

2024 ambitions

As we look forward to a shiny new year, we’ll leave you with some final thoughts from our CEO, Steve Brittain:

“From giving customers greater confidence in the value that Xoserve delivers, to prize-winning awards and achievements, I’d like to think 2023 has been a real success for Xoserve. 2024 and the coming years will no doubt present challenges around how to best navigate the energy transition and critical changes in the energy markets, but I have every confidence that our industry can rise to these challenges, creating new opportunities for the gas sector in the process.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the Xoserve team for all your hard work throughout 2023, and thank you to our customers for your collaboration to help move our industry forward. Now, let’s look forward to what 2024 brings.”

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