British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme
From: Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
Published: 10 August 2026
Background
From 2027, BICS will reduce electricity costs by up to £40 per megawatt hour for manufacturing frontier industries within the Industrial Strategy's growth sectors (the 'IS-8') and foundational manufacturing industries, which provide important inputs to the frontier industries, who meet the relevant electricity intensity threshold.
BICS will exempt eligible businesses from paying the indirect costs of the:
- renewables obligation
- capacity market
- feed-in tariff
Who can apply
To be eligible for BICS, a business must:
- be registered on Companies House
- operate in an eligible sector determined by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes
- manufacture an eligible product determined through Harmonised System (HS) codes
- meet the minimum level of electricity usage
View the eligibility for the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme document which sets out the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) and Harmonised System (HS) codes that are eligible under the scheme.
Check your company's eligibility
The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) has developed an online eligibility checker tool designed to help businesses assess whether they are likely to be eligible for BICS.
Where to apply
Applications for BICS will open on 1 October 2026 and close on 30 November 2026.
Business guidance
This guidance will be kept under review and updated as necessary to reflect any changes to the scheme or its delivery.
- British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme: business guidance (10 August 2026) — Guidance
Previous consultations
For further information on previous public consultations relating to BICS, visit the following links.
- British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme: consultation on scheme eligibility and approach (31 July 2026) — Consultation outcome
- British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme: consultation on regulatory changes and scheme delivery (8 July 2026) — Consultation outcome
Updates to this page
Published 10 August 2026