28 July 2026
The UK energy system is entering a period of profound change. As markets evolve to support net zero, digitalisation and greater customer expectations, the way industry governance operates must evolve too.
Much of the conversation around Code Reform has rightly focused on simplifying governance, making industry codes easier to navigate and enabling modifications to market arrangements that support the energy transition. However, there is a broader question that deserves equal attention: what will the future Gas Network Code Manager need to help the industry navigate an increasingly complex energy landscape and gas market?
As the gas market becomes more digital, integrated and lower carbon, the future Code Manager will need to bring together market knowledge, operational insight, technology, practical delivery, strategic thinking and meaningful stakeholder engagement.
By bringing together complementary expertise, shared experience and a common commitment to industry outcomes, collaboration offers an opportunity to build a Code Manager that is not only fit for today’s market, but ready for tomorrow’s challenges.
Code Management will deliver change
The future gas market will look very different from the one today’s arrangements were designed to support. Hydrogen, biomethane and carbon capture and storage (CCS) are introducing new market requirements. As gas and electricity become increasingly interconnected, decisions about investment, infrastructure and system resilience must be coordinated across the whole energy system rather than made in isolation. At the same time, digitalisation is transforming how data is shared, customers engage with industry processes and market changes are delivered.
Against this backdrop, the Code Manager’s role extends beyond effective administration. It must help the gas market deliver change safely, efficiently and transparently while maintaining confidence in critical UK gas infrastructure. That requires a broader range of skills and experience than ever before.
Collaboration is becoming a capability in its own right
Collaboration enables each organisation to focus on what it does best, while bringing together the different perspectives needed to address complex challenges.
The same principle applies to Code Management. A coordinated approach can strengthen resilience, support more informed decision-making and improve efficiency through shared resources, reduced duplication and clearer delivery responsibilities.
Better outcomes for the industry
A collaborative approach is about creating better outcomes together. It enables governance decisions to be informed by operational experience. It combines technical expertise with practical delivery knowledge. It strengthens stakeholder engagement by drawing on wider industry relationships and diverse perspectives. This becomes increasingly important as the pace of industry change accelerates.
Whether implementing regulatory reforms, supporting digital transformation or enabling future market developments, successful delivery depends on arrangements that are both technically robust and grounded in operational reality.
Keeping stakeholders at the centre
Effective Code Management will rely on continued industry participation. That becomes even more important as the market evolves. Future arrangements must be transparent, accessible and shaped through meaningful engagement with transporters, shippers, suppliers, consumers and the wider industry.
Listening to stakeholders cannot be a one-off consultation exercise. It must become a continuous process that helps identify emerging issues, improve stakeholder experience and build confidence in industry change. A partnership model supports this by bringing together broader expertise, wider industry relationships and different perspectives when considering future developments.
A partnership built around complementary strengths
The scale of change facing the gas sector requires capabilities no single organisation can provide alone. That is why Encodar, Xoserve and Talan have come together to combine governance, operational and digital expertise into a single collaborative model.
Each organisation brings distinct but complementary capabilities.
Encodar contributes extensive governance and Code administration expertise together with deep knowledge of industry processes.
Xoserve brings decades of experience delivering critical market services, managing trusted industry data, supporting stakeholders and enabling large-scale market change.
Talan has deep experience in energy code governance, including Independent Gas Transporter arrangements, combined with proven digital transformation, technology and delivery expertise.
Together, the three organisations offer a distinctive combination of governance, operational delivery, trusted industry data management and digital transformation. This means decisions can be informed by real-world experience and translated more effectively into practical industry change.
Get in touch
If you have any feedback or questions on any of the above, please email us at communications@xoserve.com.
Share this news article