Congestion management is a set of measures that grid operators use to actively prevent impending congestion situations. Such a situation arises when the demand for transport capacity—due to peak consumption or large-scale feed-in—exceeds what the local grid can handle.
To prevent this, large business users (with more than 3×80 amperes) are asked to temporarily reduce their electricity consumption or limit their feed-in. The agreements for providing this flexible capacity can be laid down in various contract types—also known as flex products.
Businesses with a large-consumer connection play an important role in preventing overload. We ask them to be flexible with their power use. That sometimes requires adjustments to business processes or investments in technology and data handling.
Participation is currently voluntary. Participants make agreements with their grid operator about the availability of their flexible capacity. This capacity can be requested at fixed times, but flexible arrangements can also be made regarding time windows and volumes.
Taking part in congestion management asks something of you, but it also offers opportunities. Businesses receive financial compensation for providing flexibility and know where they stand for a longer period. Over time, this creates the room needed for more and larger connections.
Through GOPACS, we put businesses in touch with grid operators and service providers, and we ensure their flexibility is deployed effectively. This way, companies can already extract value from their flexibility—and actively contribute to a reliable, future-proof energy system.
Flexibility creates space on the grid. This can allow you to do more with your current connection, or get a (temporary) larger connection sooner.
Smart management of your electricity usage brings financial benefits. Think of compensation for flexibility or lower costs during negative or peak prices.
Grid congestion creates uncertainty. By participating in congestion management now, you help define the terms and stay in control.
Can your production or consumption sites temporarily adjust? Then GOPACS gives you access to a market where flexibility is rewarded. We help you take the first steps, ensure your site is correctly registered, and point you to a suitable service provider. This way, you get more out of your connection and contribute to the grid.
As a CSP, you play a key role in making flexible capacity available. GOPACS supports you through the onboarding process, helps with asset registration and linking, and provides insight into congestion areas and market data. This enables you to serve your customers better and actively contribute to a future-proof energy system.
Flex bids are bids from market parties to temporarily adjust their electricity consumption or production at an agreed price. They form the basis of redispatch: the market mechanism grid operators use to resolve expected congestion on the electricity grid.
When grid operators expect the grid in a certain area to become overloaded, they initiate a redispatch request via GOPACS. A market message specifies where and when flexibility is needed.
Market parties — such as energy suppliers, CSPs, and large energy users — can respond with a flex bid. In this bid, they indicate how much flexibility they can provide and at what price, for example by temporarily producing less electricity, consuming more, or reducing their demand.
GOPACS compares and combines these flex bids and selects the most efficient solution to resolve the congestion, while ensuring that no new bottlenecks arise elsewhere on the grid. If a flex bid is accepted, the party temporarily adjusts its consumption or generation and receives compensation.
In this way, flex bids make redispatch possible: fast, targeted, and market-based congestion management.
Yes. Flex bids are an important instrument for temporarily resolving congestion through redispatch.
When grid operators expect the transport capacity in a certain area to be exceeded, they initiate a redispatch request via GOPACS. A market message specifies where and when flexibility is needed. Market parties can respond with a flex bid: an offer to temporarily adjust their electricity consumption or generation in exchange for compensation.
GOPACS then combines these bids and selects the most efficient solution. For example, electricity production or consumption is reduced within the congestion area, while an opposite adjustment takes place outside that area. This keeps the electricity system balanced and prevents new bottlenecks elsewhere on the grid.
If the selected flex bids are sufficient, the load remains within the available transport capacity and the congestion is resolved for that moment, without requiring structural grid reinforcement.
The connection must be measurable via an EAN code and equipped with appropriate metering equipment. Reliable and up-to-date measurement data must be available, and the flexible capacity must be controllable on request. In many cases, the flexible capacity must be at least 100 kW to qualify for available contract types.
Through GOPACS, grid operators use several congestion products to temporarily relieve pressure on the electricity grid:
Together, these products ensure that congestion is addressed in a targeted, efficient way and without creating new bottlenecks elsewhere on the grid.
