List of all BSC Modifications
P450 ‘Housekeeping and making the BSC gender neutral’
This housekeeping Modification corrects a total of 52 non-material errors and inconsistencies across 31 Sections (including 9 Annexes) of the BSC. It also replaces gender specific references with references that are gender neutral to bring the BSC in line with modern best practice and other energy codes.
P449 ‘Non-domestic Energy Bill Relief Scheme’
This Modification seeks to enable Elexon (BSCCo) to act as the payment provider for the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme for non-domestic electricity customers. The intention of the subsidy would be to reduce non-domestic consumer tariffs in light of the recent rises in energy costs.
P448 ‘Mitigating Gas Supply Emergency Risks’
The war in Ukraine and resultant gas shortages in Europe significantly increases the risk of Generators in GB being prevented from generating this winter (due to Firm Load Shedding during a Gas Supply Emergency). If that happens Generators are likely to incur massive Imbalance Charges and credit cover requirements, potentially causing them to become insolvent. Even if such an Emergency does not occur, the risk that it could occur is likely to force Generators to reduce their forward and Day Ahead trading, reducing liquidity in electricity markets, and raising costs for electricity consumers.
P447 ‘Avoiding impact of Winter Contingency actions on cash-out prices’
This Modification would prevent negative impacts to the cash-out price if NGESO’s Winter Contingency service is used.
P446 ‘Domestic Energy Price Guarantee Scheme’
This Modification seeks to enable Elexon (BSCCo) to implement and administer the payment scheme for Suppliers as part of the Government’s Energy Price Guarantee scheme for domestic electricity customers. The intention of the subsidy would be to reduce consumer tariffs in light of the recent rises in energy costs.
P445 ‘Improving efficiency of Default Funding Share process and Energy Supply Company Administration’
This Modification seeks to allow the Funds Administration Agent (FAA) to process a Default Funding Share for unpaid Trading Charges earlier to reduce the cost of the borrowing facility and reduce the risk of shortfall. The Modification will also allow the Panel to instruct the FAA to release Trading Charges where the default relates to an Energy Supply Company Administration (ESCA).
P444 ‘Compensation for Virtual Lead Party actions in the Balancing Mechanism’
P443 ‘To Cap NGESO Interconnector Trades’
At the current time National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO) can trade at prices above the Value of Lost Load (VoLL – as defined in BSC Section T 1.12, currently set at £6,000/MWh). The Proposer’s view is that this adds to customers’ costs and sends a signal to the markets that customers are willing to buy power at any price. In a cost of living crisis the Proposer does not believe that the British public are prepared to buy energy at any price.
P442 ‘Reporting chargeable volumes for exempt and licensed supply’
This Modification seeks to allow correct reporting of chargeable volumes to the EMRS company for SVA Metering Systems that record both exempt supply and licensed supply through the addition of a new third party role, the “Exempt Supply Notification Agent”.
P441 ‘Creation of Complex Site Classes’
This Modification looks to progress a recommendation of the Issue 88 Workgroup to introduce Complex Site classes. These classes would categorise the types of Complex Site, each having clearly defined criteria within the BSC. A new “type” of Complex Site (referred to as a Class 6 Complex Site) to allow approval of ”non-standard” complex sites would also be introduced.
P441 would also clarify when the netting of Imports from Exports for multiple Metering Systems registered in Supplier Volume Allocation (SVA) is permitted.
This change would facilitate consistency across the market and as so called “Local Energy Schemes” become more popular, rules for when netting are permitted would be clearly defined going forward.
P440 ‘Enabling Elexon to administer the Capacity Market Advisory Group’
The BSC does not currently allow Elexon to undertake administrative activities that would support the Capacity Market Advisory Group (CMAG). This does not align to Ofgem’s decision to appoint Elexon to undertake the CMAG administrative activities on its behalf.
P439 ‘Enabling EDA-based Data Integration Platform Development’
This Modification makes changes to the Balancing and Settlement Code (BSC) to enable Elexon, in its capacity as the Market-wide Half Hourly Settlement (MHHS) Implementation Manager, to develop the Event Driven Architecture (EDA) based system for MHHS, which will be known as the Data Integration Platform (DIP).
P438 ‘Amending the BSC to address sanction orders’
This Modification would allow Elexon to seamlessly give effect to sanctions orders.
P437 ‘Allowing non-BSC Parties to request Metering Dispensations’
This Modification proposes to introduce a provision in Section L ‘Metering’ to allow the relevant Meter Operator Agent to apply for Metering Dispensations on behalf of a non-BSC Party.
P436 ‘Consequential BSC changes for Switching SCR (REC 3.0)’
Ofgem’s Switching Significant Code Review (SCR) will introduce the new Central Switching Service (CSS) and version 3.0 of the Retail Energy Code (REC 3.0). P436 progresses the consequential BSC changes needed to align with REC 3.0.
P435 ‘Enabling EMRS to undertake preparatory work for potential future settlement services to LCCC’
This Modification proposes to extend Elexon Vires through its wholly-owned subsidiary company Electricity Market Reform Settlement (EMRS) Limited.
P434 ‘Half Hourly Settlement for UMS Metering Systems’
This Modification will require a period of mandatory Change of Measurement Class (CoMC) activity for all Non-Half Hourly (NHH) Unmetered Supplies (UMS) Metering Systems to complete before the Market Wide Half Hourly Settlement (MHHS) migration to the Target Operating Model (Milestone 11 (M11) in the MHHS Timetable). At the time of writing, this would need to complete by October 2024. It will also require all new UMS connections to be settled Half Hourly (HH) from 12 months prior to M11, currently October 2023.
P433 ‘P375-P420 Legal Text Alignment’
P433 seeks to ensure that the Legal Text for Approved Modification P375 ‘Settlement of Secondary BM Units using metering behind the site Boundary Point’ is aligned with the BSC baseline introduced by the implementation of P420 ‘Retail Code Consolidation Significant Code Review’. This Modification will correct a number of manifest errors introduced into the P375 legal text by P420 and will therefore allow the implementation of the P375 Legal Text in the BSC on the P375 Implementation Date.
P432 ‘Half Hourly Settlement for CT Advanced Metering Systems’
This Modification proposes to align the BSC definition of an Advanced Meter with that in the Standard License Conditions (SLC) and to set explicit Half Hourly (HH) Settlement obligations for Current Transformer (CT) Advanced Meters ahead of the migration to Market-wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS).
P431 ‘Post Brexit Agreement Updates’
As a result of the UK leaving the EU, Great Britain (GB) is no longer part of the Internal Energy Market and updates are required to the BSC to ensure that the legal text appropriately reflects these changes.