20 August 2025 – The UK national standards body to take on a new role governing essential standards to digitalize the energy sector and support the Net Zero transition.
Ofgem is requiring all network companies to adopt the Common Information Model (CIM) for their Long-Term Development Statement (LTDS) to improve the consistency, accessibility, and usability of network data. The energy regulator has announced that BSI will be acting as the governance body for the Common Information Model (CIM).
The CIM is made up of families of international standards providing information on data exchange protocols. These standards define how different assets in the energy sector, from substations to inverters on wind turbines, are operated and how information is exchanged between energy stakeholders on these assets.
To reach Net Zero targets, it is essential for millions of new distributed energy resources or ‘assets’ like solar, electric vehicles and batteries to be introduced into the energy system, however, this makes the energy sector increasingly complex. Digitalizing the sector is therefore an essential requirement for decarbonization to effectively integrate, use and manage the new sources of renewable energy in the grid. The CIM and the standards it represents standardizes how these assets capture and share information, so they are effectively integrated, used and managed.
Data plays a pivotal role in the energy sector, driving transformative changes in grid integration and informing the process of incorporating new energy sources into the system, while considering how this will impact the energy system's stability and reliability. Governance of energy system digitalization and energy data was recommended by the government’s Energy Digitalisation Taskforce to manage issues, and changes to the common data framework. Given the lack of an ‘interoperability’ industry standard definition in the energy sector, a standardized format to share information though the CIM is essential to simplify data exchanges, support faster and better-informed grid connection decisions, and facilitate coordinated system planning.
Seb van Dort, Director of Sustainability and Energy at BSI, said “Digitalization of the energy sector is the key to decarbonizing, modernizing, and driving transformative changes to energy grids, and is necessary for the UK to hit net zero. Underlying all of this is the transparency and consistency of the data of grid and network operators, without this, we cannot turn ambition into action. Enhancing consistency in data offers the opportunity to overcome a key barrier for policy makers, industry and Ofgem.
We are pleased to be playing our role in digitalizing the energy sector, building on the pioneering work of initiatives such as the Energy Digitalisation Taskforce, and ultimately accelerating progress towards a Net Zero future”
A spokesperson for Ofgem said:
As a major supporter of innovation, at Ofgem we know that digitalization of the energy system has huge potential to benefit consumers, but it must be done in a way which standardises and secures critical data. The streamlined use of the CIM helps move us to a digitalized energy system that will deliver better outcomes for consumers. We’re pleased to see BSI take up this role, given its existing independent role in energy data standards and the transparency it provides across all standards activity.”
David Boyer, Director of Electricity Systems at Energy Networks Association, said:
“Interoperability across GB networks is crucial for a smarter, net zero energy system. As such, we welcome BSI’s appointment as the governing body for CIM and look forward to working with them and Ofgem on this. Together, we will convene industry expertise to ensure a resilient, future-focused grid, which will ultimately deliver benefits for customers.”
BSI has coordinated with ENA and Ofgem to develop the GB CIM governance arrangement. It will comprise of three elements: a new subcommittee, a Great Britain CIM Advisory Group, and an online GB CIM Engagement Hub. The new subcommittee will focus specifically on the CIM standards suite (IEC 61970, IEC 61968, and IEC 62325), ensuring the standards process is impartial, open to all stakeholders, and able to adapt quickly to UK needs. The CIM Advisory Group will give key industry stakeholders a formal forum to discuss how the GB CIM schema is developed, applied, and used, creating a direct and responsive link between the industry and the standards process.
BSI has also established an online portal, the GB CIM Engagement Hub to provide an additional opportunity to capture issues and broader stakeholder discussions on the application of the CIM in GB and offer scope for the public to have exposure to discussions in the Advisory Group and standards development space. Together, these arrangements will help ensure the CIM remains aligned with the needs of UK energy stakeholders and is maintained under an open and transparent governance structure.
