Great Britain continues to lead Europe in local flexibility but risks falling behind on wider market integration, according to the latest Flexibility Market Monitor from LCP Delta and smartEn.
GB achieves an overall score of 4 out of 5, outperforming Spain (2/5) and Germany (3/5), and matching France in this year’s assessment. Now in its seventh edition, the report provides an annual review of the accessibility and maturity of demand side flexibility (DSF) across 12 European countries, drawing on extensive primary and secondary research.
GB market: strong foundations, structural challenges
Great Britain remains one of Europe’s most advanced DSF markets:
- DSO flexibility is a standout strength, with 9 GW contracted since 2024, making GB the most active local flexibility procurement market in Europe.
- Wholesale access is improving, supported by the implementation of P415, which enables independent aggregators to trade directly on behalf of customers.
- Retail enablers continue to expand, with smart meter rollout at 68% and widespread availability of EV, heat pump and V2G tariffs.
- The Capacity Market is well established, with consistent participation from DSF providers.
However, GB faces important system-level challenges. It remains outside the pan European balancing platforms (PICASSO, MARI), limiting cross ‑border optimisation and integration. Within the GB system, geographical ‑constraints also make it harder for aggregators to assemble minimum bid sizes for certain services.
Flexibility across Europe: progress, but uneven
Across Europe, the report finds that flexibility needs are rising faster than market arrangements can accommodate.
Access to wholesale markets remains restricted in many countries, with independent aggregators often facing significant barriers. Retail innovation—such as dynamic and time of‑ ‑use tariffs—continues to expand, but consumer uptake is still relatively low, limiting the impact on system flexibility.
Jon Ferris, Head of Flexibility at LCP Delta, said, “The next phase of GB’s flexibility journey will be shaped by major reforms to ancillary services and clearer market coordination. The shift to new reserve products, combined with the introduction of a Flexibility Commissioner and Elexon’s role as Flex Market Facilitator, will bring much needed structure and certainty. And with the UK now exploring participation in the EU’s internal electricity market, there is real potential to open new value streams and strengthen long term‑investor confidence.”
Michael Villa, Executive Director smartEn, added, “Great Britain is a front-runner in Europe on demand side flexibility, and its experience highlights challenges felt across the continent. Many of these barriers are not due to missing EU rules, but to the slow and uneven implementation of existing legislation, particularly around market access for independent aggregators and cross-market coordination. If Europe wants demand-side flexibility to scale and deliver real system value, Member States must fully implement the electricity market framework and allow demand-side flexibility to compete on equal terms across all markets.”
