The Electricity System Operator (NGESO) wants to hear from companies with distributed energy resources as it prepares to implement a new ‘Electricity System Restoration Standard’ (ESRS). It wants responses by 17 December.
The ESRS is the ‘black start’ response that would restore the electricity system after a total failure across the national electricity transmission system. The system operator must achieve 60% of the peak demand in defined areas of the country (Restoration Zones) within 24 hours and 100% within five days.
In the past ‘black start’ providers relied on large fossil fuel generators, who were paid to provide the service. But NGESO is looking to distributed resources to provide the service, both because there are fewer large fossil plant and those that exist may not be in the right place, and because it will provide revenue to other providers and may reduce costs overall.
In order to implement the new standard – already explored in a Distributed ReStart analysis and testing programme – by the deadline of December 2026, the ESO will need to procure additional restoration services from traditional and non-traditional sources, such as solar, wind and hydro. It has already identified the issues to be resolved via industry working groups and now it wants more industry views on the challenges and opportunities each sector of the electricity industry expects to face in providing, or facilitating the provision of, the new services.
Since distributed energy owners may be able to benefit from providing a future restoration service it wants to be sure the requirements of the new standard can be met.
It wants responses to the ESRS Implementation Consultation and to the Assurance Framework Consultation. Both close on 17 December.