Project Trident
Future-proofing the gas market's data infrastructure.
What is Project Trident?
Project Trident refers to a significant project of work to modernise UK Link, the platform we use to connect the complex information, technology and communications systems that are essential to the successful competitive retail gas market in Britain.
UK Link is used and managed by Xoserve in its role as Central Data Service Provider (CDSP). It ensures the industry operates smoothly, effectively and efficiently, in accordance with the Uniform Network Code and its IGT equivalent.
Support for the existing version of UK Link expires in 2027 and it will need to be upgraded or replaced with a new solution – one which will meet both current and future needs.
As custodians of the IT infrastructure that sustains the gas industry, it is our priority that systems are kept up to date and compliant.
Looking ahead: upgrade or replace?
There is the option to extend support for the current UK Link until 2030, but we have reasons for considering a broader range of options.
There is the risk of unsupported UK Link components, and we must consider current limitations and opportunities of UK Link functionality, including:
- Data processing capabilities
- Customisation and complex architecture
- Supply chain and organisational optimisation
We are assessing whether a SAP upgrade is the best option, or if another solution could deliver a more flexible, scalable and integrable system, to better meet future demands.
The modernisation of the infrastructure will present opportunities to make service delivery more efficient and economical. But as with any large-scale technological transformation project, timing and smart planning will be crucial.
You can read and download the presentation from our launch event that took place on Monday 9 September.
Why Project Trident?
The name Trident captures the three elements of UK Link that will need upgrading or replacing.
- Core - a bespoke configuration of SAP ISU ECC6 and SAP BW
- VCO - a collection of systems that validate, convert, and orchestrate data in and out of Core, maintaining data quality and integrity
- Customer Edge – customer-facing systems that DSC parties use daily to engage with Xoserve and Core
We need to decide when and how to transition each of these elements to a new version.
Xoserve will lead the process of rebuilding or re-platforming the system, considering if and when to introduce competition to the process.
What we want to achieve
The objectives for Project Trident are:
- Maintaining the CDSP service throughout Project Trident, enabling our stakeholders and customers to access the data required
- Delivering a UK Link that provides the same functionality for stakeholder groups it provides today, as a minimum
- Delivering a simple and robust system that can efficiently adapt to future requirements – with the new solution being supported until at least 2040
- Limiting changes to our customers, while exploring options for improvement which may enhance how they access their data within UK Link
These objectives are in line with our Statement of Planning Principles (SPP) document which officially started the Business Plan 2025-28 process.
You can read and download the SPP from our dedicated Business Plan webpage.
The present and future of Project Trident
Standard support for the current version of the SAP platform that supports UK Link ends in 2027, with extended support available until 2030.
We began our initial research in July 2024 and estimate that Project Trident will run to 2028.
Our focus until July 2025 will be developing the Full Business Case (FBC), procuring the most suitable solution against a set of critical success factors, broken into five themes:
- Strategic fit and business need
- Potential value for money
- Affordability
- Achievability
- Capacity and capability
The new solution will need to be long-lived and supported until at least 2040 or beyond.
This means it will need to meet both current and future needs and consider unknowns. These can range from the introduction of blending into the current gas network, to changes to the gas code that may require delivery during the next five years.
More information about Project Trident’s timeline is available in our Statement of Planning Principles (SPP) document on our dedicated Business Plan webpage.
Launch event queries
The following is a list of initial queries raised during and after our Project Trident launch event.
The purpose of the critical success factors within the Strategic Outline Case (SOC) is to assess the long list of options for Project Trident. They are grouped into the following five themes which will be available in full within the SOC, once this is published at the end of September 2024.
- Strategic Fit and Business Need, including “allow flexibility, innovation and increased ease of change”.
- Potential Value for Money, including “be long-lived, with support until at least 2040”.
- Affordability, including “provide predictability of cost to customers”.
- Achievability, including “minimise impact on customer as a general rule” and “limit customer change impact to improvements”.
- Capacity and Capability, including “capable of scaling to increased data processing needs which are driven by market and business changes including decarbonisation”.
These critical success factors will help develop the next stage of specific and measurable criteria which we will use to assess the shortlist of options in the next phase (Outline Business Case). We expect these to include further references to net-zero, consumer, agility, and flexibility.
Our business case for Project Trident at this stage (Strategic Outline Case) does not reference UIG.
From our Project Trident Launch event, we have logged UIG as an element to consider within the Outline Business Case alongside the impacts of our recommendations for elements of UNC freeze.
The FY25/26 costs presented at the Project Trident Launch event will be inclusive of the all the steps within pre-procurement referenced in our presentation. These will be presented in the first draft of BP25, which will contain further detail on the activities being funded.
We expect the costs to operate like the other change initiatives with a call off and rebate option.
The ultimate decision-makers for Project Trident will be the Xoserve Board. Further details can be found on our dedicated Funding, governance and ownership webpage.
Questions and answers
We will be compiling a full list of questions and answers as the project evolves. A downloadable version of the list will be available from this webpage in due course.
If you have any questions that you want us to answer please email us via communications@xoserve.com.
Get involved with Project Trident
We know that our customers and stakeholders want assurance that they are receiving value for money and to see clear reasons for investment.
We will provide a robust investment proposal through the HM Treasury Green Book approach, as well as seeking agreement on critical success factors for the future solution.
In accordance with our principles of transparency and trust, we also want to provide visibility of upcoming milestones and options for how our customers and stakeholders might want to engage with Project Trident.
We will facilitate customer engagement sessions to capture feedback at all stages of the project.
If you have early feedback or would like to suggest other forms of engagement, please email us via communications@xoserve.com.
Related links
Project Trident launch
Read and download the presentation from our launch event that took place on Monday 9 September.