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Modification Groups FAQs
What is a Modification Group?
Are there any standing Modification Groups and what subject areas are they authorised
to consider?
Who can submit issues for consideration by a standing Modification
Group?
How do I
submit an issue for consideration by a standing Modification Group?
Who can be a Modification Group Member?
Who can come to Modification Group
meetings?
Can attendees participate
in Modification Group meetings?
Can Modification Group
Members send alternatives to meetings?
Can Modification Group Members claim
expenses?
How do I become a Modification Group
member?
A Modification Group may be established to consider one or several Modification
Proposals or be established on a standing basis to consider Modification Proposals
and Issues falling within specified subject areas. A Modification Group carries
out the Definition and/or Assessment Procedure for a Modification Proposal and produces
the Definition and Assessment Reports in accordance with Section F2.5 and 2.6 of
the BSC.
There are currently four standing Modification Groups that are authorised to consider
issues in the following subject areas:
Settlement Standing Modification Group (SSMG)
- CMRS Registrations
- BM Unit Classification
- Notifications (ECVNS and MVRNs)
- Settlement
- Credit cover arrangements
- Clearing, invoicing and payment
- Reporting
- Collection and aggregation of metered CDCA data
- Interconnector arrangements
- Central Volume Allocation (CVA)
Pricing Standing Modification Group (PSMG)
- Cash-out
- Energy and system balancing
- Imbalance pricing
- Balancing Reserve Level principles
- Trade-tagging
- Default price rules
Volume Allocation Standing Modification Group (VASMG)
- SMRS Registrations
- Supplier Volume Allocation (SVA)
- Supplier Meter Registration
- HH/NHH Data Collection
- HH/NHH Data Aggregation
- SVA Metering
- Party Agents
- Qualification (for SVA)
- Performance Assurance Framework
Governance Standing Modification Group (GSMG)
- Accession
- Panel and Panel Committees
- BSCCo
- BSC Agents
- Modification Procedures
- Default arrangements
- Confidentiality and intellectual property
- Liability
- Dispute resolution
- BSC Cost Recovery and Participation Charges
Issues may be submitted for consideration at a standing Modification Group for the
purposes of understanding whether to propose a modification to the BSC and to obtain
guidance in producing the Modification Proposal. Only those entitled to propose
a modification to the BSC, i.e. BSC Parties and energywatch, may submit Issues to
standing Modification Groups. The BSC Panel may also raise Modification Proposals
but only within limited circumstances and, therefore, the BSC Panel can only raise
Issues within these limitations.
Issues are submitted by sending a paper to
change_delivery_admin@elexon.co.uk. The paper should describe the Issue
in reasonable detail and identify where guidance is sought. New Issues are added
to the Issues Register and allocated to the relevant standing Modification Group.
The issue is placed on the agenda of an upcoming scheduled meeting taking into account
the group’s existing workload. If the group has no meetings planned, a meeting to
discuss the issue is scheduled. To allow adequate preparation time, Issues will
only be placed on an agenda if there is a minimum of five working days before a
scheduled meeting. The party raising the Issue will be expected to send a representative
to any meetings.
Anyone with experience and/or expertise in the subject matter of the Modification
Proposal(s) or Issues (in the case of standing Modification Groups) may be appointed
a Modification Group member. A Modification Group must consist of at least five
people appointed by the BSC Panel . The Modification Group may also include one
person appointed by the Proposer; one person appointed by National Grid and a number
of ELEXON employees. The BSC stipulates that there should be at least one ELEXON
employee on each but there are usually two i.e. the lead analyst and the chairman.
Ofgem employees and BSC Panel Members may attend meetings as observers but are not
entitled to be Modification Group members as they already have a role in the Modification
Process.
Modification Group Members should be available for all meetings for the life of
a Modification Proposal or Issue.
The meetings are open to representatives of BSC Parties and others may attend at
the discretion of the Group Chairman. ELEXON should be informed if you wish to attend
a meeting so it can be adequately planned and catered for.
A Modification Group meeting will not be open if it is held by telephone conference
or if the Group Chairman considers it to be impractical.
At the discretion of the Group Chairman, attendees may participate (ie discuss and
contribute to the analysis) in Modification Group meetings but are not able to vote
(where the Modification Group Terms of Reference allow for voting).
There are no alternates for Modification Group members and attendees can’t take
on the role of an absent Modification Group member because:
- Modification Group members are selected for their expertise and experience and not
as representatives of the companies they work for. Someone else from the same company
may not have the same areas of knowledge or be an appropriate substitute.
- Modification Group members must act in accordance with their Employer Release Letters
i.e. objectively and independently and are appropriately indemnified. Someone attending
a meeting in a member’s absence may not have the same obligations and cannot act
as an alternate.
- Modification Group members are obliged to confirm their availability to attend the
appropriate meetings and carry out relevant work. Although this may not always be
possible, it’s important for the continuity of discussions to ensure that a reasonably
consistent group of people are present at the meetings.
Modification Group members (only members and not attendees) are entitled to be reimbursed
for reasonable expenses incurred in attending meetings or otherwise in conducting
the business of the Group. An explaination on the expense claims process is available
from the
Submitting Expenses page from the menu on the left hand side of this page.
Queries should be directed to change_delivery_admin@elexon.co.uk.
To become a Modification Group member, you need to join the ‘Standing List’of experts
that the BSC Panel calls on to join a Modification Group. To do this you need to:
- Volunteer and inform ELEXON of your areas of expertise
- Provide a letter from your employer agreeing that you may act as a member of a Modification
Group and will act independently and impartially in this role (commonly referred
to as an Employer Release Letter).
An application form and sample Employer Release Letter is available to download
from the
Volunteering for Modification Groups page in the menu on the left hand side
of this page. Alternatively, please contact
change_delivery_admin@elexon.co.uk or telephone Beatriz Massana on 020 7380
4372. If identified as a suitable member for a particular Modification Group, volunteers
must confirm their availability to consider Modification Proposals, attend meetings
and carry out work. Modification Group members are expected to commit to the membership
of a Modification Group for the life of a Modification Proposal or Issue. In addition
to the specific expertise required, Modification Group members are strongly advised
to familiarise themselves with
Section F(115Kb)
of the BSC, which outlines the procedures for modifying the BSC.
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