ELEXON plays a vital role at the heart of the wholesale electricity market.

We compare how much electricity generators and suppliers said they would produce or consume with how much electricity they actually generated and supplied. After calculating these volumes, we work out a price for the imbalances and charge organisations accordingly. This involves taking 1.2 million meter readings every day and handling over £1.5 billion of our customers’ funds each year.

These balancing and settling arrangements are laid down in the Balancing and Settlement Code (BSC), which is administered by ELEXON.

Read an Overview of the Electricity Trading Arrangements or the BSC sections.

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• Our customers

  It is a condition of holding a Generation or Supply License to sign up to the BSC. Therefore our customers, known as BSC Parties, cover the entire wholesale electricity sector in Great Britain and include suppliers, generators, distributors, traders, and energy importers and exporters.

  Read more about BSC Signatories and a list of all Parties.

• Our expertise

  We deliver the BSC in an effective, efficient and economic way by focusing on four main areas:

  Procuring and managing contracts

  Rather than employing people directly to process BSC data and manage and develop the necessary software and systems, our expertise lies in procuring partners to deliver outstanding value services to our customers.

  Find out more about our procurement and contract management.

  Delivering high-quality services

  Working with our partners and suppliers, we ensure that the complex IT systems and business processes we are responsible for delivering meet the high levels of service management that our customers rightly demand.

  Managing change

  Change is a constant in the electricity sector and the BSC needs to evolve and adapt to changing circumstances. We manage the process of changing the BSC in close consultation with our stakeholders so that the BSC remains as relevant and effective as possible.

  Find out more about our change process.

  Assuring that the BSC arrangements work

  We run a framework of performance assurance standards to ensure that everyone who works with us, and operates within the Balancing and Settlement arrangements, meets the standards and obligations of the BSC, and our customers have confidence that the BSC operates efficiently, accurately and fairly.

  Find out more about our assurance mechanisms.

• Sharing our knowledge

  As well as seamlessly delivering our core business, we’re committed to sharing our knowledge and expertise with our stakeholders to help shape the debates that will change our industry and find shared solutions to address common industry problems. The support we offer includes:

  • an introductory seminar on ELEXON, the BSC and the energy industry
  • specialised technical and operational training on all aspects of the BSC
  • a comprehensive set of information sheets and guidance notes
  • help and support to companies joining the BSC for the first time
  • monthly operational meetings with our customers/consultation responses
  • chairing industry committees and groups
  • support and advise to government on how best to implement energy policy
  • hire of rooms for industry meetings