Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will publish the information her Department holds on the (a) process, (b) criteria and (c) guidance followed by the National Grid to deliver (i) supplementary balancing reserve and (ii) black start ancillary services contracts for the next 12 months; and what analysis was taken in advance to inform that delivery.

These services are a matter for National Grid, and the appropriate documentation is published on their website. The contingency balancing methodologies are available here:

http://www2.nationalgrid.com/UK/Services/Balancing-services/System-security/Contingency-balancing-reserve/Methodologies/

These documents also include National Grid’s analysis.

And information on the procurement of the Black Start Service is published here:

http://www2.nationalgrid.com/UK/Services/Balancing-services/System-security/Black-Start/Black-start-about-the-service/

National Grid have not published their analysis of this as it is commercially confidential.