Balancing energy gate closure time pursuant is the point in time when submission or update of a balancing energy bid for a standard product on a common merit order list is no longer permitted (Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2195 of 23 November 2017 establishing a guideline on electricity balancing, Article 2(27)).
In the plain language the gate closure in the electricity balancing market can be described as the moment when contracts are frozen. After gate closure, no trading is allowed anymore.
At this point, parties are expected to adhere to the physical data submitted to the system operator and to the contracted volumes submitted before gate closure (Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the document Commission Regulation of 23.11.2017 establishing a guideline on electricity balancing {SWD(2017) 383 final}, p. 5).
Balancing service providers (BSPs) are to be allowed to place and/or update their bids as close to real time as possible and at least up to one our before real time (see: ACER Opinion No 07/2014 of 21 March 2014 on ENTSO-E Network Code on Electricity Balancing).
⚠️ The Balancing Energy Gate Closure Time is to be defined for each Standard Product for Balancing Energy per Coordinated Balancing Area.
So, the maximum lead time for the balancing energy gate closure time is one our.
It follows, balancing energy bids submitted by a BSP shall be firm after the balancing energy gate closure time.
Any later change of balancing energy bids is permitted only with approval of all Transmission System Operators (TSOs) of the concerned in a Coordinated Balancing Area (CoBA).
This approval could be done automatically via a set of pre-defined rules.
According to Article 24(3) and (4) of the said Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2195 of 23 November 2017 after the balancing energy gate closure time, the BSPs shall no longer be permitted to submit or update their balancing energy bids.
After the balancing energy gate closure time, balancing service providers shall report to the connecting TSO any unavailable volumes of balancing energy bids without undue delay.
An individual balancing energy gate closure time is defined for each balancing energy product.
When a balancing energy product is activated by a TSO, even prior to balancing energy gate closure time, the activated balancing energy product is firm and subject to TSO-BSP settlement.
According to Article 29(2) of the said Regulation (EU) 2017/2195 TSOs shall not activate balancing energy bids before the corresponding balancing energy gate closure time, except in the alert state or the emergency state when such activations help alleviate the severity of these system states and except when the bids serve purposes other than balancing.
The approach adopted envisions the balancing energy gate closure time will be defined for each standard product for balancing energy per CoBA by common agreement of all TSOs of this CoBA.
According to Article 24(2) of the said Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2195 of 23 November 2017 balancing energy gate closure time must:
(a) be as close as possible to real time;
(b) not be before the intraday cross-zonal gate closure time (IDCZGCT);
(c) ensure sufficient time for the necessary balancing processes.
Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2195 of 23 November 2017 establishing a guideline on electricity balancing
Article 24
Balancing energy gate closure time
1. As part of the proposals pursuant to Articles 19, 20 and 21, all TSOs shall harmonise the balancing energy gate closure time for standard products at the Union level, at least for each of the following processes:
(a) replacement reserves;
(b) frequency restoration reserves with manual activation;
(c) frequency restoration reserves with automatic activation.
2. Balancing energy gate closure times shall:
(a) be as close as possible to real time;
(b) not be before the intraday cross-zonal gate closure time;
(c) ensure sufficient time for the necessary balancing processes.
3. After the balancing energy gate closure time, the balancing service providers shall no longer be permitted to submit or update their balancing energy bids.
4. After the balancing energy gate closure time, balancing service providers shall report to the connecting TSO any unavailable volumes of balancing energy bids without undue delay in accordance to 158(4)(b) and 161(4)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1485. If the balancing service provider has a connection point to a DSO, and if required by the DSO, the balancing service provider shall also report any unavailable volumes of balancing energy bids to the DSO without undue delay.
5. By two years after entry into force of this Regulation, each TSO applying a central dispatching model shall define at least one integrated scheduling process gate closure time which shall:
(a) enable balancing service providers to update their integrated scheduling bids as close as possible to real time;
(b) be no longer than eight hours before real-time;
(c) be set before the TSO energy bid submission gate closure time.
6. After each integrated scheduling process gate closure time, the integrated scheduling process bid may only be changed in accordance with the rules defined by the connecting TSO in the terms and conditions for balancing service providers set up pursuant to Article 18. Those rules shall be implemented before the connecting TSO joins any process for the exchange of balancing energy and shall allow balancing service providers to update their integrated scheduling bids to the extent possible until the intraday cross-zonal gate closure time, while ensuring:
(a) the economic efficiency of the integrated scheduling process;
(b) operational security;
(c) consistency of all iterations of the integrated scheduling process;
(d) fair and equal treatment of all balancing service providers in the scheduling area;
(e) no negative effect on the integrated scheduling process.
7. Each TSO applying a central dispatching model shall establish the rules for using the integrated scheduling process bids prior to the balancing energy gate closure time in accordance with Article 18( 8) (c) in order to:
(a) ensure that the TSO meets its reserve capacity requirements in real time;
(b) ensure sufficient resources to solve internal congestions;
(c) ensure the possibility of feasible dispatching of power generating facilities and demand facilities in real time.
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Documentation |
Network Code on Electricity Balancing (Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2195 of 23 November 2017 establishing a guideline on electricity balancing - NC EB), Article 2(27), Article 24
ACER Opinion No 07/2014 of 21 March 2014 on ENTSO-E Network Code on Electricity Balancing).
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Links |
Intraday Cross-Zonal Gate Opening Time (IDCZGOT)
Day-ahead firmness deadline (DAFD)