National Express has entered into a two-year agreement with SQE and Zenobē to overhaul its UK energy procurement model, enabling it to reduce costs, manage risk and cut emissions.
Under the agreement, energy supply platform SQE’s dynamic procurement model will enable battery storage specialist Zenobē to manage 47GWh of renewable energy, delivering power for 467 electric buses.
The power supply solution means National Express Bus can move away from a traditional fixed-price energy contract, which can expose organisations to significant cost risk during periods of market volatility.
Instead, this new model facilitated by SQE’s platform allows National Express Bus to purchase electricity through Zenobē’s power procurement team at live wholesale prices, and sell unused energy back to the grid when consumption is lower than forecast.
The approach is particularly well suited to National Express Bus’s operational profile, with 80-90% of energy consumption occurring overnight as vehicles return to depots for charging.
Chris Bowden, founder and CEO, SQE, said, “The UK’s power market is in the midst of a profound transformation – one which is redrawing the landscape for industrial and commercial energy users.
“There’s an urgent need for businesses to abandon a passive, analogue approach to energy consumption to establish a strategy that manages risk exposure and generates revenue – turning energy into a competitive advantage.
“We’re proud to collaborate with Zenobē to help National Express Bus navigate today’s complex energy market and take greater control of its procurement strategy.
“This partnership shows how large transport operators can cut costs, manage risk and align energy procurement with sustainability goals – even with market volatility.”
