Last week, the annual FlexCon took place in Brussels, an international event focused on flexibility, innovation, and collaboration in the energy market.
Our new Product Owner, Cyriel van Oorschot, was part of the GOPACS delegation and wrote a great recap.
GOPACS was well represented at FlexCon. Jasper Kroondijk and Robben Riksen engaged the audience in an interactive session where they solved a realistic congestion case together, based on situations in Zeeland caused by rising tourism. The management duo, Mike ten Wolde, CFA, and Ranko Stojakovic, demonstrated in their keynote how GOPACS continues to lead in linking congestion challenges with flexible capacity. The highlight: the announcement that Nord Pool will connect to GOPACS in 2026. With this step, all three power exchanges on the Dutch intraday market will soon be linked to our platform.
Flexibility is developing at lightning speed. Aggregators such as PlexiGrid, Podero, and Nodes showcased how their smart software and asset connectivity help businesses and households align energy use with grid needs. Their focus is often on balancing services, whereas GOPACS stands out in tackling grid congestion—thanks to direct integration with grid operators and reliable forecast data.
Broader themes also took center stage. The importance of data sharing was highlighted as a way to accelerate decision-making and increase transparency. Scenario planning was presented as a tool to make risks discussable and adjust strategies. Another key takeaway: value lies in continuity and in understanding financial flows within the flexibility ecosystem. Finally, technical bottlenecks such as asset connectivity remain a barrier to scaling up. As long as these challenges persist, the potential of flexibility will remain limited.
In short: FlexCon provided us not only with new insights but also with concrete directions to further strengthen GOPACS as the leading platform for flexibility solutions in an increasingly dynamic energy landscape.
