Vattenfall IDNO has enabled a faster and cheaper energisation of a new 10-bay EV charging hub at Dolbeare Meadow in Devon. Partnering with Ionity GmbH, its grid consultancy saved developer Poppy Properties over £1 million and brought the connection forward by three years.
The local DNO’s initial offer required costly reinforcement and a long delay. Poppy Properties turned to Vattenfall IDNO to protect the project’s viability.
Vattenfall’s Grid Consultancy took over DNO negotiations and ran a detailed technical review. By challenging assumptions and reapplying for a right-sized capacity, the team secured spare network headroom.
This approach cut connection costs by seven figures and avoided reinforcement. It also enabled the retail park and charging hub to open on schedule.
Throughout the three-year programme, Vattenfall provided end-to-end support. The consultancy coordinated technical revisions, steered legal agreements, and managed commercial changes.
When the original CPO withdrew, Vattenfall helped source a new partner. The project remained on track and compliant with technical standards.
Engineers, legal specialists, and project managers worked as an integrated team. Land rights were secured in time to protect grant funding and construction milestones.
Phase 1 is now live with a 1.5 MVA connection. Future capacity has been reserved to support site expansion.
The Asset Adoption Value rebate exceeded contestable works. That meant delivery for the price of the non-contestable works alone.
Consultancy fees were waived following asset adoption. Poppy Properties effectively received three years of grid support at no cost.
“Without Vattenfall’s support, this project simply wouldn’t have been viable,” said William Palk, Partner at Poppy Properties Ltd. “Their team helped us navigate a complex and costly DNO process, find an affordable connection route, and get our EV hub energised much earlier than the DNO proposed.”
“This project is a great example of how Vattenfall’s Grid Consultancy can unlock significant value,” said Bilgin Oralerkaya, Grid Consultancy Manager at Vattenfall IDNO. “By combining technical expertise with proactive negotiation, we helped Poppy secure a faster, more cost-effective connection and avoid unnecessary reinforcement costs.”
The Dolbeare Meadow scheme shows how targeted grid consultancy can accelerate EV infrastructure. It also demonstrates how value engineering can de-risk delivery and scale charging capacity.
Vattenfall IDNO unlocks £1 million savings for Devon EV hub appeared first on Energy Live News.