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Our response to coronavirus
Find out how we're working to keep the lights on in Great Britain throughout COVID-19.
ESO
System security services
We use a number of techniques and services to help maintain the security and quality of electricity supply across Britain's transmission system. In these pages, you will find out more about these services and how you can participate.
The techniques we use are:
- buying or selling electricity in the balancing mechanism;
- buying or selling electricity through trading; and
- entering into contracts for balancing services.
Previous services
We will no longer use or contract contingency balancing reserve (CBR). CBR services were designed as a transitional product to provide additional reserve in the mid-decade period. As we transition to the Capacity Market, 2016/17 was the last year that we procured these services.
We are no longer procuring demand side balancing reserve (DSBR) and supplemental balancing reserve (SBR).