GC0164: Simplification of Operating Code No.2
What is being proposed
This modification seeks to help Users to clearly identify and understand their obligations under Operating Code No.2 (OC2) by making it more accessible, easy to navigate and understand. This is the first modification resulting from the Alignment, Simplification and Rationalisation Workstream (ASRW) of the Digitalised Whole System Technical Code project.
Current status
On 04 October 2023 the ESO raised Grid Code Modification Proposal GC0164. The October 2023 Grid Code Review Panel recommended that GC0163 should be treated as a standard governance modification. A new timeline was approved at the January 2024 Gride Code Review Panel. At the January Panel meeting, the Panel was asked by the Authority to reconsider the governance route for GC0164. The Panel considered GC0164 under GR.19.2(d) and GR.18.4 and confirmed unanimously that it meets the Self-Governance criteria, and asked for a Workgroup to consider the modification. A new timeline was approved at the May 2024 Grid Code Review Panel meeting. The Workgroup Consultation ran from 07 June 2024 to 08 July 2024, and received 3 responses. The August Panel approved a 2 month extension to the timeline, which means that the Workgroup Report will now be presented to the October 2024 Panel. The next Workgroup meeting will be taking place on the 02 October 2024. The Workgroup report will be presented at the November Grid Code Review Panel. At the November 2024 Grid Code Review Panel, the Panel agreed that the Terms of Reference have been met and agreed for GC0164 to proceed to Code Administrator Consultation. The Code Administrator Consultation was published on 02 December, closed on 16 January 2025 and received 4 responses. The Draft Final Modification Report was submitted within the February 2025 Panel papers. The Panel agreed that further work was required to the legal text prior to undertaking the Vote. The Panel agreed the Governance update in June 2025. A timeline update will be presented to the Panel in July 2025.The Second Code Administrator Consultation was submitted in the September 2025 Panel papers for review by the Panel. The Panel asked for a further review of the legal text, with some Panel members asked to join the Workgroup. 09/03/2026: The second Code Administrator Consultation will close on 27 March 2026.
Details
Timeline
Analysis
NESO's Grid Code modification GC0164 simplifies Operating Code No.2 to make obligations clearer for grid users. The modification has been under development since October 2023, with workgroup consultations completed and a second code administrator consultation closing March 2026. This is administrative restructuring of existing obligations rather than substantive rule changes.
Why it matters
Pure administrative tidying that does not change underlying technical or commercial obligations. The two-and-a-half year timeline for what amounts to redrafting demonstrates the bureaucratic overhead that code governance imposes on even trivial changes.
Key facts
- •Modification raised October 2023
- •Second code administrator consultation closes 27 March 2026
- •Low impact on all affected parties
- •First output from Digitalised Whole System Technical Code project
- •Standard governance route with workgroup process