BICS Is Now Open: How to Apply for the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme

The British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) opened for applications on 1 October 2026, giving eligible manufacturers in Great Britain the chance to be exempted from some of the policy costs built into their electricity bills. The application window closes on 30 November 2026, and an application can't be amended once it has been submitted.

This post sets out who is eligible, how much relief is available, what evidence you need and what the scheme asks of you once an exemption is in place.

What is the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme?

BICS exempts eligible manufacturers from the indirect costs of three electricity policies: the Renewables Obligation (RO), Feed-in Tariffs (FiT) and the Capacity Market (CM). These costs are charged to electricity suppliers and passed on to businesses through their bills, so the exemption reduces what you pay for grid electricity at an eligible site.

The scheme applies in Great Britain only. Energy policy is devolved in Northern Ireland, so sites there are outside its scope.

BICS key dates

The first application window runs for two months, and relief doesn't reach your bills until 2027.

Who is eligible for BICS?

A business needs to meet four tests at the same time:

• The business must be registered with Companies House.
• The business must operate in a frontier or foundational manufacturing industry identified in the Industrial Strategy, with an eligible SIC code.
• The business must make products on the eligible list, defined by 6-digit Harmonised System (HS) codes. Eligible products are goods made at the site that are either sold to another party or transferred for use in manufacturing at another site.
• Each manufacturing site must use at least 33 MWh of grid-supplied electricity a year.

Only electricity supplied from the grid counts. Electricity from on-site generation, such as behind-the-meter solar or combined heat and power, is not eligible.

The sector and product tests need the closest attention, because they depend on specific codes rather than a general description of what your business does.

How much relief does BICS provide?

The level of exemption depends on the proportion of a site's electricity that is used for eligible manufacturing.

A site that makes only eligible products receives a 100% exemption, subject to verification. Because the levels step rather than slide, the proportion you evidence for each site matters.

For example:

A site where 60% of electricity is used for eligible manufacturing receives a 100% exemption. A site where that figure is 40% receives 50%, and a site at 25% or below receives nothing.

Relief is applied through your supplier, and how it appears varies. The RO, FiT and CM charges may be separate line items, grouped together, or included in the overall price.

What do you need to apply?

Applications are made online through a government portal, so it's worth gathering the following before you start:

• Your GOV.UK One Login for Businesses
• Your Companies House registration number
• The Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN) for each site
• Electricity bills covering the most recent 6 consecutive months available within the last 12 months
• Evidence of any apportionment methodology
• Details of the products you make, with supporting evidence
• Confirmation of any private electricity supply arrangements

The guidance is clear that evidence needs to be complete, consistent and clearly linked to the manufacturing site. Applications can be rejected where evidence is incomplete, inconsistent, unclear or insufficient to verify eligibility.

A consultant or adviser can submit on your behalf, provided a Companies House officer confirms their authority by email.

What happens after your application is approved?

An approved exemption lasts for 5 years. You'll make a yearly declaration confirming that nothing material has changed in years 1, 3 and 4, and the scheme includes a full review in year 2. You must also tell the department about material changes as they happen, including changes to meters, sites, company structure through a merger or acquisition, and the mix of eligible and ineligible activity.

Key takeaways

• The window is short. BICS applications close at 11:59pm on 30 November 2026, and an application can't be amended once it has been submitted.
• Eligibility depends on four tests together. Companies House registration, sector, product and electricity use all need to be met at site level.
• Relief is tiered. A site needs more than 25% eligible electricity use to receive any exemption, and 50% or more for the full 100%.
• Relief reaches your bills in 2027. RO and FiT exemptions start in April 2027, and the CM exemption follows in October 2027.
• Obligations continue after approval. Annual declarations and a year 2 review throughout the 5-year exemption.
• Most of the evidence is already in your records. Electricity bills, MPANs and production details form the core of the application.

Manufacturers investing in new products and processes may also have an R&D tax credit position worth reviewing, and our guide on how manufacturers can claim R&D tax credits explains where to start.

If you manufacture in Great Britain and haven't yet tested your eligibility, now is a good moment to do it, while there's still time to prepare robust evidence. Myriad's Energy Relief Vault platform offers a free indicative assessment.