Fingrid to trade on the Intraday markets to reduce polarity reversals of interconnectors
As a result of the introduction of flow-based capacity allocation and the upcoming transition to a 15-minute market time unit (MTU) in the cross-border intraday electricity trading, the number of occasions when the flows on the direct current transmission interconnectors reverse direction is expected to increase. Flow direction reversals will be reduced by trading on the intraday markets to mitigate the stress on the interconnectors.
Too many reversals of the flow of electricity may cause wear and tear and shorten the life of the High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) interconnectors such as FennoSkan, connecting Finland with Central Sweden.
The trading approach
In order to limit the wear and tear, Fingrid will trade on the Intraday markets to reduce the number of flow direction changes aka. polarity reversals on Fenno-Skan. The process for handling the polarity reversals with countertrade* is based on the interconnector disturbance application that has been used since 2022. It was further developed together with Svenska kraftnät, the Swedish transmission network operator that will also trade on the Intraday market in their bidding zones.
The overall process
- After the Day-ahead market result, before trading, Fingrid determines whether any polarity reversal should be removed. Then it is determined which MTUs, and which volumes need to be traded.
- The transmission system operators restrict the Intraday capacity before the countertrading, to avoid trade flows in the opposite direction.
- Fingrid trades the needed volume on the Intraday markets.
- After Intraday market trading gate closure, Fingrid can fill the remaining needs during delivery with the existing operating models, i.e., special regulation from the balancing electricity market and competitive bilateral trades.
Fingrid intends to start trading on the Intraday markets to reduce the number of reversals when the 15 min MTU is implemented on the Swedish cross-border Intraday trading in 18.3.2025. Fingrid will inform the markets, including publishing the required market messages related to the process, in due course.
One of several measures to reduce the stress on the HVDC interconnectors
Countertrading on the Intraday market is one of several measures that the transmission network operators have agreed on, to reduce the stress on the HVDC interconnectors. Other measures are, for example, limited ramping, extended monitoring and dynamic optimization of cable operation.
More information:
Control Room Manager Roger Gustavsson tel. +358 40 500 6643
E-mail addresses: forename.surname@fingrid.fi
Abbreviations:
HVDC: High Voltage Direct Current
MTU: Market Time Unit
Terminology:
*)Countertrades and congestion management
Countertrades are special commercial adjustments executed for the transmission management of the electricity system. Such commercial adjustments resolve network bottlenecks that can limit the transmission of electricity within the Finnish grid or between it and the grids of neighboring countries. Countertrades change the regional distribution of electricity production or consumption on both sides of the network component that is limiting electricity transmission. Fingrid guarantees the cross-border market transfers it has already confirmed.
Commercial countertrades used to manage interruptions of cross-border transmission connections have been ordered from the balancing electricity market maintained by the transmission system operators in the form of special regulations or competitive bilateral transactions between Fingrid and market participants. The costs of countertrades are covered by grid tariffs and congestion income. The new model refers to the application of intraday market trading to cross-border transfer management in order to reduce flow direction changes of HVDC interconnectors.
Previously announced:
Transition of intraday trading to 15-minute resolution in January and March 2025 > ( in Finnish)
Intraday market trading for congestion management during faults – continuation as a permanent practice >