Regulatory change testing

The Problem

The NETA programme was amongst the most complex to be undertaken since energy industry de-regulation.  National Grid, as System Operator had over 50 internal and external interfaces, new or re-modelled as a result of these industry changes.  The client required a project-wide integration test team to validate these critical systems.

The Solution

• Developed a suite of bespoke test tools and harnesses (including SQL, PL/SQL, VB and Open VMS DCL scripts) that could simulate a Production day including EDT (electronic data transfer) submissions and BOA (bid/offer acceptance) dispatch instructions

• Conducted performance testing / benchmarking for the key energy balancing system that was integrated with external data providers

• Provided out of hours second-line support for business-critical real-time systems