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How Does Participation Work?

By participating in GOPACS, large consumers and other market parties can use their flexibility to help resolve this congestion. This means they are willing to adjust their electricity consumption or generation at times when the network is at risk of becoming overloaded. In return, they receive financial compensation.

GOPACS is a joint initiative of the Dutch grid operators to reduce congestion in the electricity grid. Congestion occurs when the demand for electricity transport exceeds the available capacity of the network. This can lead to overloads and outages.

Participating on the GOPACS Platform

To participate in GOPACS, you must meet certain conditions and requirements. Below is an overview of the key requirements. It is important to note: if you want to offer flexible capacity via redispatch (intraday), this will always go through a trading platform such as ETPA or EPEX Spot.

1. Market Participant Status

The owner of the asset must be a registered market participant with access to the electricity market. This could be an energy supplier, aggregator, or large consumer. Registration as a market participant is done through Partners in Energie.

2. Flexibility Offering

Your company must be able to offer flexibility, meaning you can temporarily increase or decrease your electricity consumption or generation at the request of a grid operator.

Redispatch en capaciteitsbeperkingscontract

3. Technical Infrastructure

You need the technical means to offer and implement your flexibility reliably. This could involve having a system in place to quickly respond to signals from the grid operator.

4. Compliance with Rules, Regulations, and Your Contract

  • You must comply with all relevant laws and regulations, such as European grid codes and national energy legislation.
  • You must be transparent about your flexibility offering and capabilities and have made agreements with your grid operator. This is not necessary for redispatch; you are free to bid through a trading platform in that case.

You are willing to cooperate with the grid operator(s), which requires communication and coordination.

 

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5. Access to a Connected Trading Platform and Trading via/As a CSP

If you want to participate in free market bidding on the same day (intraday), i.e., participate in redispatch, then:

  • You need an account on a trading platform.
  • You must trade via or as a Congestion Service Provider (CSP).

Account on a Trading Platform

GOPACS currently has connections with trading platforms EPEX Spot and ETPA. The number of trading platforms that collaborate with GOPACS is still expanding. For trading through EPEX Spot and ETPA, you will pay a fee to these parties. Inquire with EPEX Spot and/or ETPA for more details.

Trading via or as a CSP

A Congestion Service Provider (CSP) is a mandatory intermediary if you participate intraday via a bidding obligation (redispatch mandatory) or through free market bids (redispatch). A CSP is not a mandatory intermediary for day-ahead participation.

An overview of all Congestion Service Providers (CSPs) can be found in the CSP register. This register is centrally managed by grid operator TenneT. If you need to trade via a CSP, the CSP will handle your registration on GOPACS. You will pay the CSP a fee for their services, inquire with the CSP of your choice.

 

6. Registering for the GOPACS Platform

If you are interested in offering your flexibility for congestion management, you can make this known:

  • Directly through the GOPACS platform if you have a capacity limitation contract.
  • Through a CSP and/or a trading platform if you want to participate in redispatch.

Once you are a participant on GOPACS, you can generate additional income by offering capacity that you don’t need at that moment. This helps grid operators better manage the congestion situation in the Dutch electricity grid.

Other Forms of Participation

How to participate

Frequently Asked Questions about Participation

Do you have other questions? Feel free to contact us, check out our comprehensive guide, or visit the frequently asked questions page.

What is congestion management?

Congestion management is the set of measures deployed by network operators to mitigate the effects of congestion and prevent the network from becoming overloaded. Whereas congestion indicates the problem of capacity shortage, congestion management focuses on the practical solutions to deal with these bottlenecks. Congestion management is crucial for a stable, affordable and sustainable energy supply in the Netherlands. It will become increasingly important as power demand and the share of renewables continue to grow. Read more about congestion management here.

What does GOPACS do?

For free market bids via redispatch, GOPACS uses orders on the existing energy market platforms ETPA and EPEX Spot. Participating parties trade electricity by placing buy orders and sell orders on a trading platform. Bids can be transacted across trading platforms. We call this Cross-Platform activation.

If congestion is expected, GOPACS calculates at lightning speed whether orders meet the following conditions: 1. Does the order include location information 2. Does it solve the congestion situation 3. Does not cause new congestion at another location in the power grid

The price difference (the spread) between the buy order and a sell order is paid by the grid operators. This creates a match between the orders on the market platform and thus solves the congestion situation.

What are the benefits of participating?

Grid operators increasingly face grid congestion. GOPACS allows participants to easily help resolve congestion situations with their available flexibility. Participating in GOPACS also provides additional earning opportunities with your flexible assets.

The ability of parties in the congestion area and parties outside it is needed. This is because grid operators must maintain balance on the grid at all times. GOPACS thus provides a win-win situation: grid operators can solve congestion situations and participants can generate additional revenue.

What congestion products are available?

On this page you will find more information about that.

What are flex bids?

If the supply of or demand for electricity is greater than the electricity grid in a given region can handle, the grid operator calls on the market to use or generate more or less electricity. The market includes parties such as energy suppliers and aggregators and wholesale customers.

These companies then indicate the price at which they wish to do so, called flex bid (also called congestion bid). If the flex bid is taken, the market participant receives a fee for it.

How do I sign up for an account on GOPACS?

You can sign up for a GOPACS account on this page. Would you first like to know more about participating? You can find that information here.

Want to Join Directly?

Sign up now with your flexible capacity on GOPACS.

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