P495 Balancing and Settlement Code (BSC) proposed changes

Details of outcome

Ofgem has decided to approve BSC Modification P495.

Start date

The implementation date for BSC Modification P495 is 30 April 2026. 

Code modification description

Under section C of the BSC, Market Wide Half Hourly Settlement (MHHS) participants are required to complete MHHS Qualification by the ‘Milestone 14’ (M14) date, which is currently 28 October 2026. BSC Section C12.12.6 provides that, if a Supplier fails to qualify for MHHS by the M14 date, the Supplier will be suspended from registering new Metering System Identifiers (MSIDs) across all Market Participant Identifiers (MPIDs) associated with its Party ID. Any suspension under BSC Section C12.12.6 would remain in effect until every MPID under that Party has either been qualified for MHHS or has fully exited from the market.

Centrica (‘the Proposer’) raised P495 on 7 August 2025. The Modification proposes an update to Section C of the BSC to introduce additional criteria that would enable any Suppliers intending to retire MPIDs rather than qualify them for MHHS by M14 to avoid being subject to a Party-wide new registrations ban after M14. The proposal distinguishes between active MPIDs that are intended to continue under MHHS and unqualified MPIDs that are not intended to continue under MHHS and are therefore being retired. The proposal introduces a new process, the MPID Retirement Process, where Suppliers can declare unqualified MPIDs for retirement, subject to meeting defined conditions and assurance checks that align with MHHS timelines. The Proposal also allows an unqualified MPID to remain active for the purpose of fulfilling a Supplier of Last Resort appointment directed by Ofgem. Again, this is subject to conditions.

At the BSC Panel meeting on 12 March 2026, the BSC Panel considered unanimously that Modification P495 would better facilitate BSC objectives (c) and (d). The Panel therefore recommended its approval. Ofgem considers that, on balance, it is likely that this modification proposal will better facilitate those BSC objectives and will have a neutral impact on the others. We have therefore approved P495. We have taken this decision on the basis that it will apply only in limited, time-specified circumstances and because the assurance and compliance framework associated with it should minimise any additional risk of delay to the M15 Milestone deadline that is critical for wider MHHS benefits realisation.