GOPACS
From April 15, 2024, it will once again be possible to submit BritNed redispatch bids for GOPACS, enabling participants to help mitigate capacity shortages in the Dutch electricity grid (congestion), whilst also providing another route to market.
BritNed has worked closely with GOPACS to improve working methods and processes, in order to provide certainty about the delivery of the offered flexibility.
Market parties can set up their business processes and register – if necessary – as a Congestion Service Provider (CSP). This will be the first step to enable market-based congestion management via the BritNed connection point again.
For further information, please see below, or contact the team at customer.enquiries@britned.com
What is GOPACS?
GOPACS is an important platform to reduce capacity shortages in the Dutch electricity grid and helps to keep the grid reliable and affordable. GOPACS is a collaboration of the Dutch grid operators and is unique within Europe.
When there is congestion in the power grid, grid operators distribute the limited space on the power grid. This happens at times when the demand for electricity transmission is higher than the electricity grid can handle. If the demand is too high at a certain time, the grid operators use GOPACS to ask large business customers whether they can temporarily use or generate less electricity for a market-based fee. The space thus freed up is shared among other grid users. This creates more space on the electricity grid and, at the same time, the customer receives compensation for the capacity they did not need at that moment anyway.
GOPACS allows large and small market players to easily monetise their available flexibility and help resolve congestion situations. Also, the cooperation of grid operators ensures that solving congestion in one part of the electricity grid does not cause a problem in another part of the grid at another grid operator.
How does GOPACS work?
When there is congestion in the electricity grid, grid operators distribute the limited space on the electricity grid. This happens at times when the demand for transmission of electricity is higher than the electricity grid can handle. We call this shortage of transmission capacity congestion.
When flexible power is deployed in congestion areas with redispatch in the Intraday market, a “counter-bid” of flexible power is always needed in another area. This allows grid operators to ensure the balance of the power grid when resolving congestion.
BritNed allows Congestion Service Providers (CSPs) to provide flexible power from the BritNed connection point in the Netherlands. This increases the flexible power on GOPACS for the required counterbids. GOPACS connected parties thus have a higher chance that redispatch can take place with their bids and grid operators have more opportunities to apply congestion management.
What is a Congestion Service Provider (CSP)?
Since the changes to the Dutch Netcode, only authorised Congestion Service Providers (CSP) can submit flex offers via GOPACS. Market participants wishing to make redispatch bids via BritNed must be CSPs to do so.
Interested parties can register as a CSP via the TenneT website. Each CSP will be included in the central register of recognised Congestion Service Providers.
GOPACS ask CSPs, who have not previously been active on the BritNed connection, to indicate that you want to use the BritNed connection point. You will then receive the required location identifier (an EAN).
If you are not yet approved as a CSP or have questions about this process, please go to the “Partners in Energie” website to register or email to tennetccc@tennet.eu.
How do I bid?
Congestion Service Providers (CSPs) can actively bid through the power exchanges that are connected to GOPACS: ETPA and EPEX SPOT. It is up to the CSP to choose which power exchanges it uses.
Where can I find more information?
If you have any further questions please contact the team at customer.enquiries@britned.com.
