
How does participation work?
1By participating in GOPACS, large consumers and other market parties can utilize their flexibility to help resolve congestion in exchange for financial compensation.
Participation in the congestion market through ETPA and EPEX SPOT provides large-scale (market) parties the opportunity to actively contribute to the management of the electricity grid on the day the volume is needed, i.e., intraday. This can be done both through a bid obligation contract and via voluntary redispatch.
Participate via Trading Platforms
With a bid obligation contract, you commit to making flexible capacity available at certain times. This means that at pre-agreed times, you can reduce your electricity consumption or increase your production to help reduce congestion on the grid. These contracts provide stability and predictability for both the network operator and your company, and you receive a market-based compensation for the flexibility provided.rnrnVoluntary redispatch offers more flexibility because you can choose when to place your bids on the trading platforms. Currently, GOPACS is connected to the trading platforms of ETPA and EPEX SPOT. This means you can respond to current market conditions and congestion issues on the grid.rnrnBy participating in these markets, you can not only contribute to a more stable electricity grid but also benefit financially from offering your flexible capacity on the congestion market.Bid Obligation or Voluntary Bidding
Within GOPACS, it is possible to trade capacity across different trading platforms. This is called Cross-Platform Activation (XPA). This cross-platform activation allows congestion situations to be resolved more quickly. Additionally, the likelihood of a bid being activated is higher.rnrnXPA enables buy and sell bids from different platforms, such as ETPA and EPEX SPOT, to be u0022matched.u0022 This is regardless of which platform the bid was placed on. Smaller bids on different platforms are combined into a larger bid that meets the network operator’s requirements.rnrnOn the trading platforms, redispatch is traded intraday. Since GOPACS can trade across platforms, redispatch solutions do not need to be balance-neutral per platform. The solution is balance-neutral as a whole.Buying and Selling Across Trading Platforms
Market parties who want to participate directly, without the intervention of a trading platform, can make agreements with their network operator. This is done in their contract. If it concerns a capacity restriction contract, it can be on demand or within a fixed time window. In all cases, these are agreements regarding flexibility in consumption or return delivery. These contracts are then called up via GOPACS by the network operator. As a recognized CSP, you can participate in congestion management in various ways. For example, via redispatch (with or without bid obligation) or with a capacity restriction contract (CBC). You need to have the appropriate contract with your network operator, except for voluntary redispatch. This can be done directly via a trading platform.
Do you have additional questions? Contact us, check out our comprehensive guide, or visit the FAQ page. For more information and to enter into a bidding contract, please contact your grid operator. This contract is concluded directly between the grid operator and you, the customer. For more information, see the page on bid obligation contracts. Yes, you get this message from your grid operator. This will ask you to place flex bids in the congestion portal for the period when congestion is expected in the area in which you are located. Network operators can provide some outlines – based on the recent past, for example – but cannot predict precisely. Grid operators always determine whether congestion is expected somewhere. If this proves to be the case, GOPACS is deployed. A market message is then sent, via the application, where and when power is needed. When an order is matched via GOPACS, you as a market participant will receive notification of this from the trading platform. Financial settlement is also done through the trading platform. Prices are set by the market, not GOPACS. A match through GOPACS provides a match that would not otherwise have occurred in principle. This is because a grid operator pays the spread between two orders. Both market participants involved receive or pay the amount of the deposited order. Payment is made through the trading platform. Grid operators use orders only if they are provided with location data and they contribute to the cost-effective resolution of congestion in the electricity grid. To avoid congestion, an order has value only if it is provided with location data.Frequently Asked Questions about Trading Platforms
I would like a bid contract, how do I arrange it?
Will I be notified when I need to post a flex bid?
Can network operators predict which locations require power?
Will I know if my order was matched on GOPACS, and not in a regular trade?
Is a GOPACS match more profitable than a trading platform match?
Other Forms of Participation
How to participate
List your flexible power on the GOPACS platform.Ready to contribute to a sustainable future?