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Transforming Energy Trading: The Story of Empire

In the dynamic world of energy trading, innovation is the key to staying ahead. BritNed, in partnership with Supercharge, has achieved this with the launch of the Empire platform, a groundbreaking solution that has redefined user experience and operational efficiency. Recognised with the prestigious Gold Award for Innovation of the Year at the Industry Eagle Awards, Empire stands as a testament to the power of collaboration and visionary thinking in the energy sector.

In this interview with Nils Teipel, Commercial Operations & Planning Manager at BritNed, we explore the journey behind Empire, the challenges faced, and the bright future ahead.

The Vision Behind Empire

Q: Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind the Empire platform? What specific challenges in energy trading were you aiming to address?

Before Empire, BritNed’s customers needed to use different systems to trade and nominate on the BritNed interconnector. An internal analysis identified the three existing systems customers used delivered a poor user experience and served as a barrier between BritNed and its customers. The systems also lacked sufficient flexibility, restricting BritNed’s ability to respond to customer needs, improve the user experience (UX), and deliver new innovative trading possibilities in an energy landscape that is evolving at pace. The workflow between the three systems was complex and fractured, provided limited flexibility, and drained valuable time for traders operating in a highly pressurised environment.

The project started with a vision: to create a modern platform to maximise BritNed’s capabilities to its fullest potential, allowing users to seamlessly trade and nominate capacity more efficiently than ever. The goal was to create more business value with automation, decrease operator complexity in case of market events like unplanned outages, and make all executions as easy as possible for customers – enabling participants to manage their entire BritNed trading portfolio within one cohesive system. To do this, the functionality of the existing systems needed to be integrated into one system in a reimagining of the user’s experience.

A Partnership for Innovation

Q: How did the partnership between BritNed and Supercharge come about? What strengths did each organisation bring to the table?

Once the scope of the new platform was finalised, BritNed created a tender for the project and invited several expert agencies to bid to partner with BritNed and design the platform. Supercharge are specialists in creating software that combines cutting-edge technology with a human-centred design. The decision to select Supercharge as the digital product development partner was based on their expertise in creating energy software and other complex solutions, resulting in tools that maximise efficiency in the field of critical infrastructure. BritNed had designed an ambitious project roadmap to deliver the platform in just 18 months, and it was clear from their demonstrable track record that the Supercharge team would be able to run in parallel with the BritNed team and help deliver Empire on schedule.

Empire is the product of a close and fruitful ongoing collaboration between BritNed and Supercharge, which sees the teams actively working on improving the platform on a daily basis. Empire was designed and implemented using BritNed’s decade-long expertise in the industry, which was combined with Supercharge’s innovative approach to UX design and knowledge of the digital landscape, especially in the energy domain.

Development Journey

What was the development process like for Empire? Could you walk us through some key milestones and challenges faced along the way?

BritNed and Supercharge spent 18 months working in partnership to create Empire. Key milestones included:

– Project Proposal: June 2021

– Project Start (with Supercharge): March 2022 – This included multiple days of design workshops in which every process was analysed, optimised and then designed as a system workflow and interface. In this part of the project we brought together our own energy trading experts and Supercharge’s team of process IT specialists and UX/UI designers. This allowed us to create a platform which is optimised on a functional IT level and on a user experience and design level. In parallel to these project workshops, we organised workshops with our customers to get their views on suggested improvements and interface designs, which were then continuously fed back into the system design workflow of the project. 

– Customer Testing: July – August 2023 – Within this period we allowed customers to test the system prior to the launch and start integrating it with their own systems. For this purpose, we set up multiple business scenarios to run regularly on the platform to test certain features but also set up scenarios based on ad hoc customer requests. The whole period was fully supported by the new BritNed Helpdesk which was set up to manage the operation of Empire on 24/7 basis.  

– Empire Launched: September 2023 – We strategically decided to switch over to Empire during our planned maintenance of the BritNed Interconnector. Within this 1 week, we could put Empire in charge of our commercial operation without disturbances to customer or market processes and we were fully operational on Empire as soon as the Interconnector became re-available for commercial use. To achieve this, the BritNed and Supercharge teams spend the full week together going through hundreds of checklist items, monitoring functions and checking first process runs of the system. In case minor issues were identified, developers were immediately available to rectify what would be needed. This led to an extremely smooth go-live without any operational or market disturbances. 

Enhancing User Experience

How does Empire improve the user experience compared to the previous systems? What feedback have you received from users?

We’ve received excellent feedback thus far, and Empire continues to develop and improve. Customers are informing us that Empire is providing them with greater convenience and control over their trading activity, which was one of the key goals of bringing Empire to the market. Although it’s less than 12 months old, we have made several improvements to Empire already, all guided by our customers. Since releasing Empire V1 in September 2023, we have released the unique Buy Now auction and a new Weekly auction. The Buy Now auction is the first Dutch-style interconnector auction of its kind, and the Weekly auction is a first of its kind for a UK interconnector. Bringing both new auction types to the market at pace, in response to market demand, was only possible due to the flexibility and control Empire provides.

To determine the aesthetic of Empire, BritNed and Supercharge held art direction workshops and created wireframe concepts based on the ideal UX. These were then translated into an Atomic Design System. This also led to the creation of Empire’s Dark Mode, which is the first in an energy platform of its kind and has proved critical for reducing eye strain for traders. We have received a lot of positive feedback on this feature. Empire also features advanced Rest API interfaces and a UX focused on productivity. Empire’s user-configurable dashboards provide participants with a comprehensive overview of all the relevant data they require, enabling faster and more accurate decision-making, and ultimately leading to improved business outcomes. All of the platform’s functionality can be accessed through the API, providing customers with the choice of accessing Empire through the graphic user interface (GUI) or the advanced API technology. The advanced API technology is another area that we have received a lot of positive feedback on due to the convenience and flexibility this provides to participants.

Following our annual survey in December 2023, the BritNed and Supercharge teams have been busy elevating the functionality of the platform, with a focus on how some of the financial information is presented within the system. We have a constant dialogue with customers regarding Empire, and we are passionate about existing product improvement, as well as new product development. We have an exciting roadmap ahead, and Empire will continue to evolve and improve over time, which is important as the market and the needs of our customers will also evolve over time.

Recognition and Future Plans

What does winning the Gold award for Innovation of the Year at the Energy Eagles Awards mean for BritNed and Supercharge?

This project has broken new ground, reimagined the user journey, and delivered greater choice and control to how participants trade. Winning the Gold Award for Innovation at the Energy Eagle Awards has meant a lot to the team. Many of the BritNed team were involved directly in the development of Empire over a number of years, from the initial early concepts back in 2021 to the platform being delivered in 2023, so to see the platform be recognised is incredibly rewarding.

How do you plan to leverage this recognition to further promote Empire and drive future innovations in the energy trading sector?

We are excited to see Empire nominated for a few more awards later this year, but the Eagle Energy Awards will always hold a special place for us as it was the first awards to recognise this project.

To help drive future innovations, we look to our customers and the market. It’s our role to ensure that Empire continues to improve and meet their needs as the energy market evolves over time, so their input is key in helping to determine the future roadmap of Empire.

Wrapping Up

Empire represents a significant leap forward in the energy trading sector, combining BritNed’s deep industry knowledge with Supercharge’s innovative approach to software development. The recognition from the Industry Eagle Awards underscores the impact of Empire on the market and highlights the potential for further advancements. As BritNed and Supercharge continue to refine and expand the platform, Empire is set to remain at the forefront of digital innovation in energy trading, delivering unparalleled value and efficiency to its users. With a clear roadmap and a commitment to continuous improvement, the future of Empire looks brighter than ever.

Learn more about BritNed – https://www.britned.com/

Learn more about Supercharge – https://supercharge.io/