Industry Codes
The GB energy system is governed by 11 industry codes, each a multi-party legal contract covering a different part of the market. Changes to these codes are where market rules actually change.
8 of 11 codes have live modification registers. Tracking 142 active modifications across 3,398 total.
How code governance works
Each code is a multi-party legal contract. The parties are the licensed companies that operate under it: generators, suppliers, network operators, and so on. Each code has a panel that meets monthly (or fortnightly for the BSC) to oversee modifications, and workgroups that develop individual proposals. If you want to change a market rule, you raise a modification, a workgroup assesses it, the panel reviews it, and either the panel decides (self-governance) or Ofgem decides (authority decision).
The notification system is built for incumbents. If you are a party to a code, the administrator emails you directly about consultations and decisions. If you sit on a workgroup, you get meeting papers and draft reports. If you are neither, your options are: check each administrator's website manually, subscribe to whatever public mailing list exists, or read the CACoP monthly spreadsheet. There is no unified notification system and no cross-code dashboard.
Not a single GB energy code offers an API or RSS feed for tracking modifications. An industry that settles electricity balancing every half hour coordinates its rule changes via email lists and monthly spreadsheets. Large utilities employ teams of regulatory specialists whose job is attending workgroup meetings across multiple codes. Smaller companies and new entrants cannot afford that coverage, so they miss things. doloop exists because this information should not require a dedicated team to follow.
Electricity Balancing and Settlement
Rules for wholesale electricity market settlement, imbalance pricing, metering, and credit arrangements.
Wholesale electricity market settlement, imbalance pricing, metering data collection, credit arrangements, and market operations.
Electricity Transmission
Codes governing the high-voltage transmission network (275kV and 400kV). Administered by NESO and applying to generators, interconnectors, and large demand users connected at transmission level.
Technical requirements for connecting to and operating on the National Electricity Transmission System. Voltage limits, frequency response, fault ride-through, protection settings.
Commercial framework for connection to and use of the transmission network. Connection charges, TNUoS charges, BSUoS charges, and charging methodology.
Obligations and interfaces between NESO (system operator) and the three transmission owners (NGET, SPT, SSEN Transmission).
Planning and operating criteria for the transmission system. System security standards, design parameters, and network planning assumptions.
Electricity Distribution
Codes governing local distribution networks (132kV and below). Applying to distributed generation, demand connections, and distribution network operators.
Commercial framework for connection to and use of distribution networks. DUoS charges, connection agreements, and metering arrangements.
Technical requirements for connection to and operation of distribution networks. Engineering standards for distributed generation and demand.
Gas
Codes governing gas transportation on the National Transmission System and local distribution networks.
Gas transportation arrangements on the National Transmission System and distribution networks. Shipper, transporter, and supplier obligations.
Gas transportation on independent (non-GDN) gas networks. Same structure as UNC but for independent gas transporters.
Retail and Smart Metering
Codes governing retail supply, switching, meter registration, and smart metering infrastructure.
Retail market operations, supplier switching, Central Switching Service, meter registration, and data flows. Replaced MRA and SPAA in September 2021.
Smart metering rights and obligations. DCC services, smart meter communications infrastructure, and data access arrangements.
Data sources and methodology
None of the 11 code administrators offers an API for modification data. doloop assembles a unified view from whatever each administrator publishes: Elexon's RSS feed (daily), NESO's modification tracker spreadsheet (monthly), the Joint Office and iGT UNC modification registers (Excel downloads), DCUSA's WordPress sitemap (scraped), ENA's yearly web pages (scraped), and CACoP's Central Modifications Register (monthly Excel covering SEC and REC). Each modification is analysed by Claude Sonnet 4 to produce a plain-language summary, significance assessment, and milestone tracking.
There is one GB energy code not tracked here: the CCS Network Code, which went live in December 2024 for CO2 transport and storage. It is very new and very low volume.
Ofgem is consolidating codes under the Energy Act 2023. The Grid Code, SQSS, and Distribution Code are expected to merge into a single electricity technical code. The UNC and iGT UNC into a single gas code. BSC, REC, and SEC will remain separate under licensed code manager governance. The new framework includes a digitalisation mandate requiring codes to be machine-readable, which should eventually mean proper APIs.