Revisions proposed by the Electricity Market Reform Delivery Body to the Relevant Balancing Services Guidelines 2026
- Publication type:
- Guidance
- Publication date:
- Topic:
- Electricity distribution,
- Electricity transmission,
- National Energy System Operator (NESO)
This document outlines our decision to approve revisions proposed by the Electricity Market Reform Delivery Body to the Relevant Balancing Services Guidelines.
National Energy System Operator (NESO), in its role as the Delivery Body (DB) for Electricity Market Reform (EMR), consulted on proposed revisions to the Relevant Balancing Services (RBS) Guidelines between 21 July 2026 and 22 August 2026. Following the consultation, the DB submitted its report to us on 28 August 2026, in accordance with Schedule 4 of the Capacity Market (CM) Rules. The submission included the DB’s final recommendations and a draft of the RBS Guidelines showing the proposed revisions.
The DB’s proposed revisions were:
- the addition of Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) Negative to the list of RBS
- the addition of definitions of “Declared Availability” and “Contracted Output” for DFS Negative to Part 2 of the RBS Guidelines
- updates to Part 2 of the RBS Guidelines for Quick Reserve, following the implementation of Part 2 of the service and its extension to non-Balancing Mechanism (non-BM) units in September 2025
We have approved the proposed revisions. The DB is required to make the changes and publish the updated RBS Guidelines within seven working days of this decision.