Ljubljana, 3 June 2024
On 22 May 2024, the National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) of the Continental Europe Synchronous Area requested from ACER a six-months extension to decide on the Transmission System Operators’ (TSOs’) proposal to introduce a probabilistic dimensioning approach of Frequency Containment Reserves (FCRs). This new approach aims to improve how FCRs are calculated to stabilise the power grid’s frequency during supply and demand imbalances.
The countries of the Continental Europe Synchronous Area are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.
Why consider probabilistic dimensioning for FCR?
FCRs (also known as primary control reserves) are active power reserves necessary to stabilise the power grid’s frequency after an imbalance between supply and demand caused by an outage.
The proposed probabilistic dimensioning for FCRs aims to enhance the power system’s resilience by considering load and generation patterns, as well as inertia factors. This approach aims to reduce the probability of insufficient FCR capacity to once every 20 years or less.
What are the next steps?
ACER intends to act promptly on this request, aiming to issue a decision by the end of July 2024.
If ACER decides to grant this extension, 11 January 2025 would be the new deadline for NRAs to reach an agreement on the TSOs’ proposal.