Frequency containment reserves (FCR products)
Reserve resources providing FCR-N or FCR-D must meet the technical requirements. Before participating in the reserve markets, prequalification tests must be performed to show that the requirements are fulfilled. The activation of FCR-N and FCR-D is based on automatic local control. Fingrid does not send control signals. The Reserve Unit must have a controller that adjusts the power based on frequency measurement when the unit participates in the maintenance of the reserve.
The technical requirements are briefly presented in the table below. A full description of the requirements is available in "Technical requirements and prequalification process of FCR" (available under Attachments on this page).
Minimum size |
Full activation time |
Other |
|
Frequency Containment Reserve for Normal Operation (FCR-N) |
0,1 MW |
in 3 min after frequency step change of ± 0,1 Hz |
Dead band max ±0,01 Hz |
Frequency Containment Reserve for Disturbances, Upwards (FCR-D up) |
1 MW |
5 s / 50 % 30 s / 100 %, after a stepwise frequency change from 49,9 Hz to 49,5 Hz |
|
Frequency Containment Reserve for Disturbances, Downwards (FCR-D down) |
1 MW |
5 s / 50 % 30 s / 100 %, after a stepwise frequency change from 50,1 Hz to 50,5 Hz |
|
Fingrid purchases Frequency Containment Reserves (FCR-N and FCR-D) from the domestic yearly and hourly markets, the Russian* and Estonian HVDC links and other Nordic countries.
A reserve provider may offer capacity, that is situated in Finland and fulfills the reserve requirements, to the yearly and/or hourly market. Both markets have the same technical requirements, and both markets trade in FCR-N, FCR-D up and FCR-D down separately. The principle differences between the yearly and hourly markets are described in the table below:
Yearly market |
Hourly market |
Bidding competition organised once a year (autumn). |
A reserve provider can participate in the hourly market by making a separate agreement with Fingrid. This does not require making a yearly agreement. |
In the middle of a contractual period, it is not possible to enter by making a yearly agreement for reserve maintenance. |
Possible to enter the hourly market even in the middle of the year. |
The amount based on reserve plans is bought in total. |
TSO buys only required amount of reserve. |
Reserve plans must be submitted the previous day by 6 pm (EET). |
Bids for the hours in the following 24-hour period must be submitted by 6.30 pm (EET). |
The reserve provider is obliged to maintain the reserve it sells to the yearly market within the framework of its free capacity after day-ahead market. |
Reserve providers may submit daily offers for their reserve capacity. A provider that has a yearly agreement may participate in the hourly market only if it has supplied the reserve amount specified in the yearly agreement in full. |
Fixed price is valid throughout the year. This is set based on the most expensive bid approved for the yearly market. |
Payment is set based on the most expensive bid used separately for each hour. |
The yearly and hourly market agreements for FCR-N and FCR-D that Fingrid concludes with all the parties are identical in terms of their conditions, content and payments.
*The procurement from Russia has been stopped for the time being
Details
Tuire Kujansuu
Specialist
tel. +358 30 395 4157
Taneli Leiskamo
Specialist
tel. +358 30 395 5240
Pia Ruokolainen
Specialist
tel. +358 30 395 5105
Mikko Kuivaniemi
Expert
tel. +358 30 395 5188