System Operations

General Provisions

Terms and conditions or methodologies

TSOs shall apply the following methodologies, any amendments thereof shall be subject to approval by the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (the list is not exhaustive for this Regulation).

The Articles mentioned below refer to Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/1485, links are provided to the respective approved methodologies:

key organizational requirements, roles and responsibilities in relation to data exchange related to operational security in accordance with Article 40(6);
methodology for building the common grid models in accordance with Articles 67 (1) and 70;
methodology for coordinating operational security analysis in accordance with Art. 75;
methodology for the Continental Europe synchronous area for the definition of minimum inertia in accordance with Article 39(3)(b);

All TSO methodologies are directly applicable for Contracting Parties.

methodology, at least per synchronous area, for assessing the relevance of assets or outage coordination in accordance with Article 84;
methodologies, conditions and values included in the synchronous area operational agreements in Article 118 concerning
- the frequency quality defining parameters and the frequency quality target parameter in accordance with Article 127;
- the dimensioning rules for frequency containment reserve (FCR) in accordance with Article 153;
- the additional properties of frequency containment reserve in accordance with Article 154(2);
- for the CE synchronous area, the minimum activation period to be ensured by FCR providers in accordance with Article 156(10);
- for the CE synchronous area, the assumptions and methodology for a cost-benefit analysis in accordance with Article 156(11);
- for synchronous areas other than CE and if applicable, the limits for the exchange of FCR between TSOs in accordance with Article 163(2);
- limits on the amount of exchange of frequency restoration reserve (FRR) between synchronous areas defined in accordance with Article 176(1) and limits on the amount of sharing of FRR between synchronous areas defined in accordance with Article 177(1);
- limits on the amount of exchange of RR between synchronous areas defined in accordance with Article 178(1) and limits on the amount of sharing of RR between synchronous areas defined in accordance with Article 179(1);
where the LFC block comprises of LFC areas of Member States and Contracting Parties, methodologies and conditions included in the LFC block operational agreements in Article 119, concerning
- ramping restrictions for active power output in accordance with Article 137(3) and (4);
- coordination actions aiming to reduce the frequency restoration control error (FRCE) as defined in Article 152(14);
- measures to reduce FRCE by requiring changes in the active power production or consumption of power generating modules and demand units in accordance with Article 152(16);
- the FRR dimensioning rules in accordance with Article 157(1);
mitigation measures per synchronous area in accordance with Article 138.

The proposals for the following terms and conditions or methodologies shall be subject to approval by all regulatory authorities of the concerned region, on which a Contracting Party or Member State may provide an opinion to the concerned regulatory authority:

common provisions for each capacity calculation region for regional operational security coordination in accordance with Article 76;
where the LFC block comprises of LFC areas of Contracting Parties only, methodologies and conditions included in the LFC block operational agreements in Article 119, concerning:
- ramping restrictions for active power output in accordance with Article 137(3) and (4);
- coordination actions aiming to reduce FRCE as defined in Article 152(14);
- measures to reduce FRCE by requiring changes in the active power production or consumption of power generating modules and demand units in accordance with Article 152(16);
- the FRR dimensioning rules rules defined in accordance with Article 157(1);
mitigation measures per LFC block in accordance with Article 138;
common proposal for the determination of LFC blocks in accordance with Article 141(2).

Operational Security

Availability of TSOs' means, tools and facilities

Each TSO shall ensure the availability, reliability and redundancy of the following items:

facilities for monitoring the system state of the transmission system, including state estimation applications and facilities for load-frequency control;

means to control the switching of circuit breakers, coupler circuit breakers, transformer tap changers and other equipment which serve to control transmission system elements;
means to communicate with the control rooms of other TSOs and RCCs;
tools for operational security analysis; and
tools and communication means necessary for TSOs to facilitate cross-border market operations.

Within 18 months from the entry into force of this Regulation each TSO shall adopt a business continuity plan.

Within 18 months from the entry into force of this Regulation each TSO shall adopt a business continuity plan detailing its responses to a loss of critical tools, means and facilities, containing provisions for their maintenance, replacement and development. Each TSO shall review at least annually its business continuity plan and update it as necessary and in any case following any significant change of the critical tools, means and facilities or of the relevant system operation conditions. The TSO shall share parts of the business continuity plan which affect DSOs and SGUs with the DSOs and SGUs concerned.

Security plan for critical infrastructure protection

Each TSO shall specify a confidential security plan containing a risk assessment of assets owned or operated by the TSO, covering major physical or cyber threat scenarios determined by the Contracting Party.

The security plan shall consider potential impacts to the European interconnected transmission systems, and include organizational and physical measures aiming at mitigating the identified risks.

Each TSO shall regularly review the security plan to address changes of threat scenarios and reflect the evolution of the transmission system.

Organisation, roles, responsibilities and quality of data exchange

By 6 months after entry into force of this Regulation, the TSOs shall apply the key organizational requirements, roles and responsibilities in relation to data exchange, as adopted in accordance with Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/1485.

Security plan for critical infrastructure protection

The security plan shall consider potential impacts to the European interconnected transmission systems, and include organizational and physical measures aiming at mitigating the identified risks.

Each TSO shall regularly review the security plan to address changes of threat scenarios and reflect the evolution of the transmission system.

Organisation, roles, responsibilities and quality of data exchange

Operational Planning

Year-ahead scenarios and individual grid models

All TSOs shall jointly develop a common list of year-ahead scenarios against which they assess the operation of the interconnected transmission system for the following year. The TSOs of the Contracting Parties shall apply the common list of scenarios established for the following year.

Each TSO shall determine a year-ahead individual grid model for each of the scenarios developed. Each TSO shall publish its year-ahead individual grid models on the ENTSO for Electricity operational planning data environment.

By 6 months after entry into force of this Regulation, TSOs shall apply the methodology for building the year-ahead common grid models from the individual grid models.

Methodology for building day-ahead and intraday common grid models

By 6 months after entry into force of this Regulation, TSOs shall apply the methodology for building the day-ahead and intraday common grid models from the individual grid models.

Each TSO shall create day-ahead and intraday individual grid models and publish them on the ENTSO for Electricity operational planning data environment.

Operational security analysis

Each TSO shall perform coordinated operational security analyses for at least the following time-frames:

year-ahead;
week-ahead, when applicable in accordance with Article 69;
day-ahead; and
intraday.

When performing a coordinated operational security analysis, the TSO shall apply the methodology adopted pursuant to Article 75 of Regulation Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/1485.

To perform operational security analyses, each TSO shall, in the N-Situation, simulate each contingency from its contingency list and verify that, in the (N-1)-situation, the operational security limits are not exceeded in its control area.

Methodology for coordinated operational security analysis

By 12 months after entry into force of this Regulation, TSOs shall apply the methodology for coordinating operational security analysis.

By 15 months after entry into force, all TSOs of each capacity calculation region shall jointly develop a proposal for regional operational security coordination.

Proposal for regional operational security coordination

By 3 months after applying the methodology for coordinating operational security analysis, all TSOs of each capacity calculation region shall jointly develop a proposal for common provisions for regional operational security coordination.

Regional outage coordination

The outage coordination regions within which the TSOs shall proceed to outage coordination shall be at least equal to the capacity calculation regions.

Methodology for assessing the relevance of assets for outage coordination

By 12 months after entry into force of this Regulation, TSOs shall apply the methodology at least per synchronous area, for assessing the relevance for the outage coordination of power generating modules, demand facilities, and grid elements.

Adequacy

Each TSO shall make forecasts used for control area adequacy analyses available to all other TSOs through the ENTSO for Electricity operational planning data environment.

Each TSO shall contribute to the pan-European annual summer and winter generation adequacy outlooks applying the methodology adopted by ENTSO for Electricity.

General provisions for ENTSO for Electricity operational planning data environment (OPDE)

All TSOs and regional coordination centre shall have access to all information contained on the ENTSO for Electricity operational planning data environment.

OPDE

The ENTSO for Electricity OPDE shall store all individual grid models and related relevant information for all the relevant time-frames set out in this Regulation.
The information on individual grid models contained on the ENTSO for Electricity operational planning data environment shall allow for their merging into common grid models.
The common grid model established for each of the time-frames shall be made available on the ENTSO for Electricity OPDE.
The ENTSO for Electricity OPDE shall contain a module for the storage and exchange of all relevant information for outage coordination.
The ENTSO for Electricity OPDE shall contain a module for the storage and exchange of all relevant information for performing a coordinated adequacy analysis.

Load-frequency control and reserves

LFC basic structure

All TSOs of each synchronous area shall specify the load-frequency-control structure for the synchronous area in the synchronous area operational agreement. Each TSO shall be responsible for implementing the load-frequency-control structure of its synchronous area and operating in accordance with it.

The load-frequency control structure of each synchronous area shall include:

a process activation structure; and
a process responsibility structure.

Process activation structure

The process activation structure shall include:

a Frequency containment process;
a Frequency restoration process; and
for the CE synchronous area, a time control process.

The load-frequency control structure of each synchronous area shall include a process activation structure and a process responsibility structure.

The process activation structure may include:

a reserve replacement process;
an imbalance netting process;
a cross-border frequency restoration reserve activation process;
a cross-border replacement reserve activation process