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This is what the "Network Rail Energy Management Toolkit" guidance note says about the subject:
Traction Electricity
The Traction Electricity contract was signed with EDF Energy in January 2013 and runs for 10 years from 1st October 2014 to 30th September 2024. The scope includes all imported electricity through traction supply points (around 120) and the export of surplus regenerated electricity. It is a flexible contract and the only element fixed at the outset was the management fee. All other cost elements are passed through by EDF Energy once the actual rates are known.
Total Consumption in 2016-17 is around 3,400,000,000 kWh (3,400GWh) and will cost around £300m.
Some of the “traction” electricity is used for non-traction purposes (Non-Traction from Traction NTfT): signalling on the West Coast route & in South East & Wessex Routes, Euston Station and Merseyside underground stations. It is good to use traction derived electricity because the supply is more secure but the offtakes must be metered.
Appendix A shows a breakdown of the various cost elements. The commodity or power station gate price now makes up less than half of the total cost. The price must be locked ahead of the month of delivery. Network Rail has passed responsibility for locking the price to the train operators (except for the NTfT portion). The commodity price can be locked up to the end of the contract.
The rate paid to EDF Energy is the same for each hour in any calendar month but will vary from month to month. The only other time variation in the rate is for the period between 16:00-19:00, Mon-Fri, Nov-Feb, when the Capacity Market and Transmission costs are charged. The majority of Distribution charges are fixed for the year or related to the agreed capacity.
New Traction connections or changes should be discussed with Alan Bullock in the central Energy Management Team.
Non-Traction Electricity
The Non-traction Electricity contract is with npower and runs from 1st April 2015 to 31st March 2020, with options to extend up to 31st March 2023. The scope includes all supplies to all operational sites and directly managed offices. It does not yet include most Commercial Property sites.
Total Consumption in 2016-17 is around 440,000,000 kWh (440 GWh) and will cost around £48m.
The portfolio is split into 2 portions: sites that are Half-Hourly (HH) metered (around 500 sites) and non half-hourly (NHH) metered (7,300 sites).
Rates for Half-hourly metered sites vary each quarter and for day (07:00-24:00) and night. Many other cost elements are passed through as for Traction including Transmission and Capacity (see appendix A). Distribution charges include Capacity charges and “peak” unit rates.
NHH rates are dependent on the metering classification for the site, i.e single rate, Day/Night, Evening Weekend or Evening Weekend Day/Night. With the installation of smart meters, the tariffs available may change to encourage energy reduction at certain times of day.
New Connection or supply change requirements should be discussed with the Route Utilities Specialists before following the Utilities Change Standard.
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