- Preparing for Supplier Agent Competition in the Non Half Hourly market
As mentioned in Competition in Metering the Electronic Regisitration System (ERS) was developed to facilatate competition in supply in the above 100 kW market. However, in 1998 competition was introduced in supply for all remaining customers. This meant that customers with non half hourly meters would be able to choose their supplier, and a new trading arrangement became necessary that could settle energy between generators and suppliers whose customers have non half hourly meters. The 1998 project was established to put in place these new trading arrangements.
In order to develop improvements to the 1998 trading arrangenents and to prepare for competition in non half hourly metering in 2000, the TA2000 project was established early in 1999. This comprised of a Development Sub-Project to develop and implement solutions to identified improvements to the 1998 trading arrangements; and a Trialling Sub-Project to carry out the trialling of Pool processes to support supplier agent competition in the NHH Market.
The Development project has now delivered its solutions as two packages of software.
The Trialling sub-project is being carried out in a manner similar to that for the 1998 Programme and will prove the settlement business processes which relate to supplier agent competition which is being introduced on 1 April 2000. The scope of these trials includes Supplier, PRS Agent, Meter Operator, NHH Data Collector and NHH Data Aggregator. Trials use real and simulated agents carrying out the activities in the relevant Agreed Procedures and Service Lines but exercised through the set of trial scripts developed by the sub-project. The project witnesses and monitor the execution of the trials.
The other aspect of the sub-project involves the development of the enhancements required to the Entry Processes necessary to support NHH agent competition. These relate to independent agents entering the market, PES agents operating with non-PES agents, PES agents operating out of area, as well as PRS Agents supporting independent agents and out of area PES agents.