LONDON, 5th May 2026: Keen AI, a UK-based company specialising in AI solutions for critical infrastructure, together with SP Energy Networks, has developed IConn, a digital tool for developers seeking a new connection to the transmission electricity grid. The tool provides customers with a view of where and how they can connect to the transmission network – information that would previously have taken several weeks due to resource-intensive processes.
The UK government’s Clean Power 2030 action plan puts the acceleration of grid connections at the forefront of Britain’s energy strategy. Demand for new transmission connections has grown sharply – more than fivefold from November 2024 to June 2025 – as developers seek to bring connections online.
Accelerating the pre-application process for grid connection applications will be critical. The faster developers can understand viable connection routes, the sooner clean power projects can progress toward connecting to the grid, supporting both the UK’s decarbonisation targets and its energy security.
IConn speeds up the process by digitising the transmission network and creating a unified view of its existing, contracted and planned capacity. The tool processes raw network data on locally hosted models to generate potential connection routes, estimated costs, simulate power flows and identify potential technical constraints in less than five seconds – a task that previously required hours of manual engineering analysis.
IConn has already shown clear, measurable benefits in streamlining preliminary connections process phases, including:
- Faster early insight
- More consistent information for developers
- More efficient use of engineering time
- Supports teams in managing high connection request volumes
IConn consolidates pockets of local expertise and puts that knowledge into the hands of customer-facing teams, allowing them to give developers a clear and consistent view of potential connection routes from the outset.
Alana Cairns, Transmission Customer Liaison Manager at SP Energy Networks, said: “We’re really pleased to see IConn taking shape as a practical tool that reflects the depth of knowledge within our engineering teams. Working with Keen AI has allowed us to turn that expertise into something customers can access from day one, giving them a clearer understanding of their connections options and helping to set more informed expectations. It’s a great example of how innovation can directly enhance the customer experience.”
Amjad Karim, CEO and Founder of Keen AI, said: “We have taken a process that used to consume hours of engineering time and compressed it to seconds. That’s the kind of step change the UK needs to respond to the need for more clean energy. There’s a narrow window to get this right. The projects waiting in the queue today are the wind farms and battery storage we need online by 2030. Now it’s about scaling that solution across the industry.”
Notes to Editor
About Keen AI
Keen AI is a UK-based company specialising in AI solutions for critical infrastructure. The company works with utilities including National Grid, Scottish Power, and SSE to improve asset monitoring and network planning. In 2025, Keen AI secured funding from Ofgem to develop Britain’s Foundation Source Model (FoSMo), the country’s first collaborative AI system for electricity infrastructure.
About SP Energy Networks
SP Energy Networks is part of the ScottishPower group, one of the UK’s leading integrated energy companies. The company operates electricity distribution networks in central and southern Scotland, Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, and North Shropshire, as well as transmission networks in central and southern Scotland. SP Energy Networks serves more than 3.5 million customers across its network areas.
