Project LEO is a multi-partner innovation project, and Oxford City Council is a partner. The project is developing an energy flexibility trading market.

To enter into contracts with project partners to enable the Council’s involvement in Trial Period 1 of Project Leo.

No income or expenditure is anticipated (if this becomes the case the City Council will withdraw from the associated trial activities).

Project LEO is a multi-partner innovation project funded through Innovate UK, which Oxford City Council is a partner in.  Preliminary work by the project has developed an energy flexibility trading system/platform, with an objective for this to be functional and open to non-partner organisations in March 2023.  Testing and further development of the system/platform to enable this is broken down in to three Trial Periods.  Trial period 1 (November 2021 – February 2022) will conduct alpha testing (concept trialling) of the system between project partner organisations.  There is the possibility of some beta testing of the system towards the end of the trial period with non-project organisations.

This Decision relates to contracts for Oxford City Council’s involvement in Trial Period 1, to support alpha testing only.  To facilitate this, the Council will need to enter in to sub-contracts with other project partners about energy capacity trading activities, and to sign up to the trading platform terms and conditions.  No income or expenditure is anticipated as a result of alpha testing trading activity. 

Oxford City Council is a project partner and is fully grant funded to support its activities in Project LEO. Participation in Trial Period 1 trading activities is a necessary collaboration activity to achieve overall project objectives as set out by the grant funder. The value lies in generating learning for Oxford City Council to underpin a future decision about whether it would be viable to participate in a fully-operational trading market in the future, in order to contribute to meeting net zero goals and potentially generate income.

Option: Not to participate in Trial Period 1, continuing only with activities that do not require additional contractual arrangements with project partners. Rejection reason: Loss of project learning and does not support achieving project objectives. Risk of negative reputational impact to Council arising from non-participation, especially when participation is assessed as technically and operationally feasible at no additional cost to Oxford City Council. 

Decision taken by Mish Tullar, Head of Corporate Strategy