Change Consultations

This Modification seeks to enable EMRS to undertake the necessary preparatory work for potential future settlement services to LCCC.

This Modification seeks to enable BSC Systems to aggregate the Import data of all non-Final Demand sites for exclusion from Balancing Services and Use of System (BSUoS) charges.

At the Panel meeting on 9 December 2021, Ofgem noted that there was a risk that they will be unable to make a decision on P421 by 3 February 2021, which is required to meet the standard February 2022 Release. Were this to happen, P421 would ‘time-out’ and be closed.

To mitigate this risk the Panel requested a revised Implementation Date for P421 (in accordance with Section F2.11.18).

Under the current approved P376 solution, VLPs with BM Units that have not been registered as a ‘Baselined BM Unit’ would be required to specify the ‘Inactive’ status of a non-baselined BM Unit. It is Elexon’s view that this new requirement was not intended, is expected to increase both system development costs associated with P376 as well as on-going operational costs for VLPs. This current requirement is not necessary, adds no value and does not better facilitate any of the Applicable BSC Objectives. The Proposer of P376 agrees that allowing non-baselined BM Units would cause a problem and suggested disallowing this functionality.

This is the Report Phase Consultation for P429 ‘Switching off Participant-Reported PARMS Serials’.

P429 would permanently cease the operation of, and remove the obligations associated with, participant-reported Performance Assurance Reporting and Monitoring System (PARMS) Serials and associated Supplier Charges.

This is the Assessment Procedure Consultation for P419 ‘Enhanced Reporting of Demand Data to the NETSO to facilitate BSUoS Reform’.

This Modification seeks to expand the systems and processes introduced by P383 ‘Enhanced reporting of demand data to the NETSO to facilitate CUSC Modifications CMP280 and CMP281’ to allow eligible facilities to declare exemption from BSUoS charges and provide NGESO with aggregated Non-Final Demand data.

This Modification aligns the BSC with the provisions introduced into the Grid Code under GC0144 ‘Alignment of Market Suspension Rights to the EU Emergency and Restoration Code Article 35.1(b)’

This is the Assessment Procedure Consultation for P332 ‘Revisions to the Supplier Hub Principle’.

This Modification seeks to address issues associated with customer preferred Supplier Agents. The proposed solution is a side letter between Elexon and Supplier Volume Allocation (SVA) Data Collectors (DCs) which will enable a Supplier who does not have a direct contract with the DC to enforce, as a last resort, the side letter as a proxy contract, to ensure that BSC obligations are met. The proposed solution will now apply to SVA DCs only as SVA Meter Operator governance will move from the BSC to the Retail Energy Code (REC) from 1 September 2021 as part of Retail Code Consolidation (RCC).

This Modification will update the BSC to ensure it accurately reflects the BSC provisions constituting the network code on electricity emergency and restoration (NCER) Rules in the mapping for the European Electricity Balancing Guideline (EBGL) Article 18 Terms and Conditions. Both the EBGL and the NCER were incorporated into UK law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 following the UK-EU transition period.

We have issued P416 ‘Introducing a route of appeal for the Annual Budget in line with the proposals for the Retail Energy Code’ for Report Phase Consultation, which you are invited to respond to by 3 June 2021.

P416 seeks to amend the BSC to include an appeals mechanism to Ofgem that could be used to challenge items in the Annual Budget in line with the appeals mechanism detailed in proposals for the Retail Energy Code (REC).

The Proposed Solution contains the following key features:

• Any BSC Party can raise an appeal against an Annual Budget line item within 10 WDs of the BSCCo Board issuing approval of the Annual Budget
• Provisions to allow the Authority to respond to appeals by referring individual items back to the Board for reconsideration, powers to change costings or remove individual items from the Annual Budget, and powers to dismiss appeals that are trivial or vexatious or has no reasonable prospect of success.
• Provisions to stop all of part of spend against appealed Annual Budget line items if specified conditions are met.

We have issued P420 ‘Retail Code Consolidation Significant Code Review’ for Industry  Consultation, which you are invited to respond to by 17 June 2021.

P420 seeks to ensure the BSC aligns with Ofgem’s Retail Code Consolidation Significant Code Review, which consolidates a number of existing codes into the REC. The proposed changes have a direct impact on the BSC in terms of the transfer of the SVA Metering arrangements from the BSC to the REC and cross-code change procedures, as well as consequential changes reflecting the close down of the MRA.

P420 makes the necessary changes to reflect the code governance changes implemented through the Retail Code Consolidation SCR. Specifically, it will:

1. Ensure the BSC reflects the close down of the MRA.
2. Transfer operational procedures relating to Metering Point Lifecycle from the MRA to the BSC.
3. Make the necessary changes to transfer SVA Metering arrangements to the REC, and facilitate a transition period for metering assurance.
4. Insert the required drafting to give effect to the CCSG, which will be established under the REC to better facilitate cross-code change

Utilising a Baselining Methodology to set Physical Notifications for Settlement of Applicable Balancing Services

We have issued P402 ‘Enabling reform of residual network charging as directed by the Targeted Charging Review’ for Report Phase Consultation, which you are invited to respond to by 5pm on Monday 1 March 2021.

The P402 Proposed Solution will introduce new reporting requirements on LDSOs and BSCCo that will ensure the provision of data to enable the NETSO to set TNUoS demand residual tariffs and enable accurate billing of subsequent charges. To ensure that NETSO receives the data it requires, P402 introduces processes that require the provision, consolidation and validation of three types of data to NETSO (Monthly Billing data, Annual Tariff Setting data and Unmetered Supplies (UMS) data), the creation of two new reports to NETSO and an update to the P0210 ‘TNUoS Report’.

Under the Proposed Solution, new requirements will be introduced on Licenced Distribution System Operators (LDSOs) to send reports to Elexon (as the BSCCo) and on BSCCo to aggregate this data and report to National Electricity Transmission System Operator (NETSO). This will impact LDSOs, NETSO and BSC systems and processes.

The P402 Alternative Solution sees LDSOs compiling this data themselves, sending it directly to National Grid and so not to relying on BSCCo or BSC Systems and Agents for these purposes.

The Alternative Solution will introduce new requirements on LDSOs to send reports to NETSO. This will impact LDSOs and NETSO and will not require any changes to BSC Systems – however BSCCo will provide support to Parties as part of Business as Usual.

The BSC Panel initially recommends that the P402 Alternative Modification should be approved and that the P402 Proposed Modification should be rejected

We invite you to respond to this Report Phase Consultation to provide your views on the Panel’s initial recommendations for P402.

Please send your response to [email protected] using the form attached to the consultation by 5pm on Monday 1 March 2021. 

Please note that this is your final opportunity to comment on this Modification.

P376 ‘Utilising a Baselining Methodology to set Physical Notifications’ proposes to allow the Final Physical Notification which feeds into the Settlement of Trading Charges to be created via a Baselining Methodology. The new Physical Notification will be de-coupled from the Physical Notification used by National Electricity Transmission System Operator (NETSO) for dispatch. This change will allow Balancing Service Providers to be fully recompensed for their actual change from normal usage and the impact this change has on the system, thus enabling greater participation.