Balancing and Settlement Code (BSC) P454: Removal of BSC obligations to provide BMRS Data via TIBCO and the High-Grade Service (P454)
Decision
- Publication date
- Industry sector
- Transmission Network
- Licence type
- Electricity Transmission Licence
The decision notice is on code modification to remove Elexon's obligation to provide Balancing Mechanism Reporting Service (BMRS) data through the High-Grade communications line service for current BSC parties using the software.
This High Grade service is based on 20-year-old legacy systems and requires installing the line at users' premises, which is time-consuming, suffers from technical issues, and costly. Elexon passes on the operational cost of this service to all market participants and consumers, and TIBCO users also bear the costs for licensing proprietary software and network line rental.
Elexon has proposed, on behalf of BSC, to remove the obligation to provide the unsustainable high-grade/TIBCO service. Elexon proposes to replace the BMRS platform with the Insights Real-Time Information Service (IRIS). IRIS platform has been available for parties since December 2020 as an alternative to the TIBCO service and currently has more than 100 subscribers.
We have considered the issues raised by the modification proposal and the Final Modification Report (FMR). We have concluded that:
- implementation of the modification proposal will better facilitate the achievement of the applicable objectives of the BSC (as set out in Standard Condition C3(3) of the electricity transmission licence) and
- directing that the modification be made is consistent with our principal objective and statutory duties (detailed in the Electricity Act 1989).