Counties Energy Gridex (2026)

Counties Energy’s press release (8 Sep 2026) launching Gridex, a distribution system operator (DSO) orchestration platform at a New Zealand electricity distributor in the south Auckland and north Waikato area. It is a company announcement, not an independent evaluation; the cost examples are the company’s own preliminary estimates. Dollar amounts are not given a currency in the release (presumably New Zealand dollars). The two background pages the release builds on (the Karaka Harbourside pilot with EECA and an earlier DSO milestone release) were not read.

Key points

• What it does. Gridex issues dynamic operating envelopes (DOEs) either directly to devices or through flexibility service aggregators. The release does not define the term; it describes flexible connections that respond to real-time network conditions and lift the fixed export and charging limits of a standard connection. It is built to use flexibility “without waiting for a fully mature flexibility market to emerge”.
• Flexible connections. Counties already offers flexible connections to commercial and industrial customers on Gridex. Under a standard connection, export and charging capacity are limited by fixed network constraints; a flexible connection responding to real-time conditions can give “significantly greater” capacity. Examples in the release:
  • A developer’s proposed 4 MW solar and 10 MWh battery project at Glenbrook.
  • A rural toll drying facility: a traditional upgrade of about $80,000 against an estimated $45,000 with a flexible connection and a battery (preliminary assessment during connection design).
  • A school’s solar and battery project: a traditional upgrade of about $138,000 against $600 through a flexible connection.
• Scale. Nearly 40 MW of flexible capacity connected or being integrated: 36 MW of hot-water flexibility, 360 kWh of battery storage, 700 kW of commercial solar, 800 kWh of residential battery with 540 kW residential solar, and 2 MW of EV charging flexibility. Ten aggregators and equipment makers are connected, with three more expected in the coming months.
• Standards. Aligned with Australian practice; Gridex has achieved CSIP-AUS Utility Server certification, which the release says helps energy technologies communicate securely and consistently.
• Framing. The Chief Network and Digital Officer calls it a move “from conversation to business-as-usual” for flexibility and DOEs. The release ties it to the Karaka Harbourside Smart Energy pilot, delivered with the energy-efficiency agency EECA.

Relevance to existing wiki topics

• Flexible Connection Agreements — a non-European example of flexible connections built on dynamic limits rather than fixed time or capacity conditions
• Baseline Methods — the wiki’s only other mention of operating envelopes is as capacity-limiting products