22 May 2026
At this year’s Utility Week Live, one theme came through louder than ever: the future energy system will only succeed if the industry can make smarter, faster and more joined-up decisions and data will sit at the centre of that challenge.
Across two sessions at the event, Xoserve’s Jade Lester, Head of Communications and Engagement, and Orlando Minervino, Decarbonisation Strategy Manager, explored how trusted data, digitalisation and cross-sector collaboration will be critical to enabling the UK’s transition to a more complex, multi-gas energy system.
Their discussions focused not only on the opportunities ahead, but also on the growing operational and strategic challenges facing the sector as low-carbon gases become increasingly integrated into the network.
Why better decisions start with better data
Opening the discussion, Jade Lester highlighted the increasing complexity utilities now face when making operational, regulatory and strategic decisions.
From energy code reform and decarbonisation targets to resilience pressures and rising consumer expectations, the volume and importance of industry data continue to grow rapidly. But more data alone does not automatically lead to better outcomes.
Instead, Jade outlined three key foundations needed to improve decision-making across the energy sector:
- High-quality, trusted and well-governed data
- Connected data that can flow across organisations and systems
- Meaningful insight generated through analytics, automation and AI
As Great Britain’s Central Data Services Provider for gas, Xoserve processes billions of data points every year linked to billing, settlement, gas flows and network operations. This creates a unique opportunity to support more evidence-based decision-making across the wider energy system.
Examples already include data sharing through the Green Gas Certification Scheme and strategic partnerships with NESO to support future energy scenarios, regional energy system planning and gas supply emergency planning.
The message was clear: achieving net zero will require a whole-system approach, and enhanced data sharing will be fundamental to making that possible.
The challenge of a future multi-gas system
Building on that discussion, Orlando Minervino explored how the role of gas is evolving as the UK moves towards Clean Power 2030 and Net Zero 2050.
While electrification will play a major role in the future energy system, gas is expected to continue providing value across industrial and domestic heat, flexibility, storage, power generation and security of supply. The key challenge is therefore not whether gas remains part of the system, but how the system evolves to accommodate low-carbon alternatives such as hydrogen and biomethane.
However, introducing multiple gases into the network creates significant operational challenges. Hydrogen, biomethane and natural gas all have different calorific values and characteristics, creating implications for billing, settlement and network operation. Many existing gas market arrangements were originally designed around the characteristics of relatively consistent natural gas system. As the market evolves and incorporates a wider mix of gases, the industry will increasingly need more granular, timely and connected data.
As Orlando explained during the session, the data that was good enough for yesterday’s gas market may not be enough for tomorrow’s multi-gas system.
This creates a growing need for:
- More granular and frequent measurement
- Enhanced central systems capable of supporting accurate future settlement
- Greater interoperability between gas, electricity and storage data
- Better whole-system visibility across the energy sector
Why trusted data matters for decarbonisation
A key takeaway from both sessions was that trusted data will play a critical role in building confidence around the future adoption of green gases.
Industry, investors and regulators will all require greater visibility of how low-carbon gases move through the system, how they are measured, and how they contribute to wider decarbonisation goals. As Orlando noted, “you cannot grow what you cannot see.”
This is particularly important as policymakers, regulators and industry continue to assess how different decarbonisation pathways - including biomethane growth, hydrogen blending and future hydrogen adoption - could impact infrastructure, markets and consumers.
The discussions also reinforced the importance of whole-system planning. Gas, electricity and storage can no longer be viewed in isolation, which is why cross-sector data sharing and collaboration will become increasingly important over the coming years.
Xoserve’s evolving role in the energy transition
As the energy landscape evolves, Xoserve’s own role is evolving alongside it.
Historically, the organisation has acted as the central data custodian for the gas market. Today, it is increasingly focused on how trusted data, interoperability and digitalisation can actively support the transition to a more integrated and decarbonised energy system.
This includes helping industry improve traceability and transparency around green gases, enabling more flexible and future-ready market systems, and supporting better data exchange across gas and electricity markets.
Ultimately, the discussions at Utility Week Live reinforced a simple but important message: data will be one of the defining enablers of the energy transition.
The challenge for industry now is ensuring the systems, governance and collaboration frameworks are in place to turn that data into better decisions, greater confidence and faster progress towards net zero.
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