This document summarises government’s responses and decisions on each of the questions posed in the SSES Programme’s 2025 load control licence consultation, which covered draft regulations and licence conditions, and sets out the next steps for delivery of the load control licensing regime based on these decisions.

The response includes our decisions on:

• applications for a load control licence to open in March 2027, subject to Parliamentary scrutiny, and for the requirement to hold a licence to come into force in March 2028, 12 months after the application window opens
• amending the legislative drafting defining licensable load control activity by removing “controlling the timing of sending a load control signal” as previously proposed
• pursuing an exemption for Load Controllers and Flexibility Service Providers where load control is for the purpose of benefitting the consumer and not for the purpose of providing services to persons operating a transmission or distribution system, or persons engaged in the wholesale trading of electricity in Great Britain
• including powers for Ofgem to apply targeted derogations from certain load control licence conditions

We are currently asking for representations on a draft Exemptions Order and have set out more detail regarding the policy intent of the proposed exemptions in our statutory notice.

We will continue to work closely with Ofgem to establish and implement the load control licence.

We received 34 responses to this consultation from a mix of parties, including:

• Load Controllers
• Flexibility Service Providers
• energy suppliers
• network operators
• technology companies
• consumer groups
• trade associations
• other stakeholders

The consultation responses broadly supported the government’s proposals.

In parallel, Ofgem has published a decision document to their implementation consultation, that sought views on their proposed approach to licence applications, as well as the monitoring, compliance, and enforcement of licence obligations, and a final version of their consumer protection guidance.

This consultation and the draft regulations form part of an interlinked set of SSES Programme policies including:

• Phase 1 ESA draft regulations
• tariff interoperability
• enduring governance
• and builds on the policy proposals in the 2024 Delivering a Smart Secure Electricity System consultation and its government response