Countertrade

Countertrade refers to special adjustments made in the management of electricity transmission.  

 

A part of the grid which limits electricity transmission is called a bottleneck. Short-term "bottlenecks", or congestion, in the grid is managed commercially through countertrade while long-term congestion is dealt with through price areas or grid reinforcement.  

 

The regional distribution of power plant production is based on market terms and can be changed through countertrade For example, if transmission from Northern Finland to Southern Finland is too great, production can, at Fingrid's request and expense, be increased in the south and correspondingly reduced in the north. In such a way, transmission is brought closer to what is desirable at a given time (in this case, it is reduced), and the country's overall balance remains the same.

 

When determining the transmission capacity available for Nordic connections, the grid's operational status is taken into account, paying attention to planned maintenance work and the production and consumption situation, for example.  Should disruption occur on the grid, Fingrid guarantees the cross-border transmission it has confirmed by carrying out countertrade, if necessary,  until the 24 hour period of use is up.

 

The cost of countertrade is covered by grid tariffs and congestion income.