Powerco seeks advanced demand forecasting solutions

Powerco is releasing a Request for Information (RFI) on Monday 20 October to identify solutions that can advance its electricity demand forecasting capabilities.  
 
“We’re actively seeking capabilities in both short-term and long-term forecasting to complement our existing forecasting systems to help meet the needs of an evolving energy future,” says Powerco DSO Programme Director Ryno Verster. 

Demand forecasting is the process of predicting future network demand, including energy consumption, generation, and flexibility, to support operational, investment, and commercial decision-making.  

“Adding advanced tools to our existing forecasting methods will help ensure our electricity network is meeting our customers' needs now and in the future at an efficient cost. They will inform decision-making from planning to design right through to day-to-day operations,” says Ryno Verster. 
  
Expanding Powerco’s demand forecasting is part of its broader journey to enable future Distribution System Operator (DSO) capabilities, including automated outage planning, high-performance operations, and investment planning that maximises customer value. 
  
Powerco is engaging local and international markets to understand the availability and maturity of tools that can: 

• Reflect increasing customer choice for electrification, Distributed Energy Resource (DER) uptake, flexible connections, and price elasticity. 
• Operate at high spatial granularity, especially in low voltage (LV) networks. 
• Support high temporal granularity, eg daily profiles, seasonal variation, etc. 
• Manage uncertainty through probabilistic planning and scenario modelling. 
• Leverage modern data and digital capabilities to deliver robust, automated, and integrated outputs. 

“We want to push the boundaries further, exploring advanced tools and approaches,” says Ryno Verster.  

Powerco welcomes responses from vendors with short-term, long-term, or integrated forecasting solutions. 

Visit Tenderlink to register. Tenders open on 20 October 2025 and close on 17 November 2025