Why Semarts Exists: Bringing Clarity, Compliance and Commercial Rigour to Private Energy Networks

Written By Nathan Masters

Private electricity networks sit at the intersection of infrastructure, regulation and commercial reality. Airports, ports, industrial estates and large mixed-use sites rely on them to operate safely and efficiently - yet many networks continue to operate under governance and recovery frameworks that were never designed for today’s scale, complexity or scrutiny.

That gap is why Semarts Utility Consulting Ltd was founded.

Semarts is a specialist energy consultancy focused on helping private-network operators optimise, comply and grow - without undermining competitiveness or regulatory credibility.

The Problem We See Repeatedly

Across the UK, private-network operators are facing a set of increasingly interconnected pressures:

  • Rising wholesale and network costs, driving greater scrutiny from third-party users and their increased interest in exploring Third Party Access.

  • Legacy cost-recovery frameworks that no longer reflect underlying asset value, network complexity or actual usage.

  • The rapid emergence of onsite renewable generation, often deployed without understanding of the potential commercial impact Third Party Access could have on their investment or a clear strategy for protecting its long-term commercial value.

  • Under-recovery of costs driven by limited understanding, outdated assumptions or incomplete and inconsistent data.

  • Limited internal governance over energy strategy, investment decisions and long-term risk management.

In many cases, these issues only surface when something breaks: a challenge from a customer, a regulatory query, or a material gap between cost and recovery that can no longer be ignored.

Semarts works with clients before that point - bringing structure, evidence and commercial logic to energy strategy, cost recovery and network governance. 

What Semarts Does Differently

Semarts is deliberately niche. We focus on complex private networks that demand clarity, structure and commercial discipline.

Our work typically covers:

  • Ofgem-compliant charging methodologies
    Designing and reviewing network charging frameworks that meet regulatory approval requirements, withstand challenge from third parties, and provide transparent, defensible allocation of costs.

  • Third Party Access (TPA) strategy and implementation
    Advising on how TPA should be approached, structured and governed - assessing commercial impact, protecting network and generation value, and supporting operational processes.

  • Asset-led cost recovery and investment frameworks
    Establishing asset-based recovery models that align depreciation, WACC and asset valuation with long-term investment, renewal and funding requirements.

  • Strategic assurance for senior decision-makers
    Translating complex technical, financial and regulatory detail into clear, evidence-based recommendations for boards and executive committees.

This is not generic advisory work. It is targeted, evidence-led and grounded in how large, operationally critical sites actually function.

Designed for Complex Environments

Semarts’ experience is rooted in complex infrastructure environments - airports, ports and major estates, where compliant charging, defensible cost recovery and long-term investment decisions underpin sustainable operation.

These environments share common challenges:

  • Multiple voltage levels and embedded generation

  • High-value assets with long lives

  • Diverse third-party users with competing interests

  • Tight operational constraints

  • Increasing regulatory and stakeholder scrutiny

Our approach reflects that complexity. Models are built to be robust, auditable and usable not just technically correct.

A Consultancy Built on Practical Experience

Semarts was created to bridge the gap between theory and delivery.

We combine:

  • Deep regulatory understanding

  • Hands-on experience operating private networks

  • Advanced financial and tariff modelling

  • A commercial mindset shaped by real operational accountability

The result is advice that stands up to scrutiny - not just in principle, but in practice.

Let’s Start the Conversation

If you are questioning whether your current approach to energy pricing, recovery or governance is still fit for purpose, Semarts would be pleased to have an initial conversation.

The goal is not change for the sake of it but for clarity, confidence and control.

Nathan Masters