Schedules are a tool for the Transmission System Operators (TSOs) for planning system operation after market closure before real time.

 

Schedules are agreed plans from generation and consumption units as well as internal and external commercial exchanges and exchanges between TSOs.

 

Schedules provide the necessary information for the TSO to operate and balance the system as well to carry out security analysis.

 

According to Article 3(2)(78) of the Network Code on System Operation the 'generation schedule’ is a schedule representing the electricity generation of a power generating module or of a group of power generating modules.

 

 

Scheduling agent

 

 

Scheduling agent’ is the entity or entities with the task of providing schedules from market participants to TSOs, or where applicable third parties (Article 3(2)(90) of the Network Code on System Operation).

 

Network Code on System Operation stipulates that the concerned owner is required to appoint or to act as a scheduling agent for each power generating facility and demand facility subject to requirements for scheduling set out in the national terms and conditions.

 

It is moreover, stipulated that each market participant and shipping agent, subject to requirements for scheduling set out in the national terms and conditions, must appoint or act as a scheduling agent (Article 110 (3) and (4) of the Network Code on System Operation).

 

 

Scheduling areas

 

 

Network Code on System Operation lays down the following rules for establishing scheduling areas (Article 110(2)):

 

- where a bidding zone covers only one control area, the geographical scope of the scheduling area is equal to the bidding zone,


- where a control area covers several bidding zones, the geographical scope of the scheduling area is equal to the bidding zone,


- where a bidding zone covers several control areas, TSOs within that bidding zone may jointly decide to operate a common scheduling process, otherwise, each control area within that bidding zone is considered a separate scheduling area.

 

Provision of generation schedules and consumption schedules may be suspended in situations indicated in Article 35(2) of the Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2196 of 24 November 2017 establishing a network code on electricity emergency and restoration (NC ER).

 

 

Rules for scheduling

 

 

All schedules in a scheduling area should sum up to zero within a time period to keep the system in balance, if no faults occur and both consumption and production will be equal to the prognosis.

 

This enables the TSO to balance its system in real time with a minimum level of reserves for balancing, compared to the extensive level of reserves necessary if no schedules are available.

 

Schedules provide the TSO with valuable insight; if the schedules do not sum up to zero, the TSO will have time to inform proactively the market players of potential mistakes instead of experiencing potential enormous imbalances in real time. This increases security of supply and is more economical.

 

 

Scheduling in the market coupling process

 

 

The output of a market coupling process, i.e. energy exchanges, results in new requirements for TSOs and market coupling operators (scheduling "net positions").

 

Scheduling "net positions" means a multilateral exchange between one scheduling area and a group of other scheduling areas involved in market coupling.

 

The group of other scheduling areas involved in market coupling will be modelled as a specific scheduling area without generation or consumption and where the sum of all imports is equal to the sum of all exports.

 

All involved scheduling areas in the market coupling have a border with the specific scheduling area, except if the local situation requires bilateral exchanges between two scheduling areas.

 

The scheduling agent of the market coupling operator acts as operator of this specific scheduling area.

 

Market coupling operators act to ensure that all external schedules between scheduling areas are balanced.

 

Within market coupling process, multilateral exchanges between scheduling areas is the standard, but also bilateral exchanges may be required in order to allow for regional variations.

 

Bilateral exchanges also take place if one of the scheduling areas does not participate in market coupling.

 

 

 

Network Code on System Operation, Articles 110 - 113

 

Ttile 6
Scheduling


Article 110
Establishment of scheduling processes


1.   When establishing a scheduling process TSOs shall take into account and complement where necessary the operational conditions of the generation and load data methodology developed in accordance with Article 16 of Regulation (EU) 2015/1222.


2.   Where a bidding zone covers only one control area, the geographical scope of the scheduling area is equal to the bidding zone. Where a control area covers several bidding zones, the geographical scope of the scheduling area is equal to the bidding zone. Where a bidding zone covers several control areas, TSOs within that bidding zone may jointly decide to operate a common scheduling process, otherwise, each control area within that bidding zone is considered a separate scheduling area.


3.   For each power generating facility and demand facility subject to requirements for scheduling set out in the national terms and conditions, the concerned owner shall appoint or act as a scheduling agent.


4.   Each market participant and shipping agent, subject to requirements for scheduling set out in the national terms and conditions, shall appoint or act as a scheduling agent.


5.   Each TSO operating a scheduling area shall establish arrangements necessary to process the schedules provided by scheduling agents.


6.   Where a scheduling area covers more than one control area, the TSOs responsible for the control areas shall agree about which TSO shall operate the scheduling area.


Article 111
Notification of schedules within scheduling areas


1.   Each scheduling agent, except scheduling agents of shipping agents, shall submit to the TSO operating the scheduling area, if requested by the TSO, and, where applicable, to third party, the following schedules:
(a) generation schedules;
(b) consumption schedules;
(c) internal commercial trade schedules; and
(d) external commercial trade schedules.


2.   Each scheduling agent of a shipping agent or, where applicable, a central counterparty shall submit to the TSO operating a scheduling area covered by market coupling, if requested by the concerned TSO, and where applicable to third party, the following schedules:


(a) external commercial trade schedules as:
(i) multilateral exchanges between the scheduling area and a group of other scheduling areas;
(ii) bilateral exchanges between the scheduling area and another scheduling area;


(b) internal commercial trade schedules between the shipping agent and central counter parties;


(c) internal commercial trade schedules between the shipping agent and other shipping agents.


Article 112
Coherence of schedules


1.   Each TSO operating a scheduling area shall check whether the generation, consumption, external commercial trade schedules and external TSO schedules in its scheduling area are in sum balanced.


2.   For external TSO schedules, each TSO shall agree on the values of the schedule with the respective TSO. In the absence of an agreement, the lower value shall apply.


3.   For bilateral exchanges between two scheduling areas, each TSO shall agree on the external commercial trade schedules with the respective TSO. In the absence of an agreement about the values of the commercial trade schedules, the lower value shall apply.


4.   All TSOs operating scheduling areas shall verify that all aggregated netted external schedules between all scheduling areas within the synchronous area are balanced. If a mismatch occurs and the TSOs do not agree on the values of the aggregated netted external schedules, the lower values shall apply.


5.   Each scheduling agent of a shipping agent or, where applicable, a central counterparty shall provide TSOs, upon their request, with the values of external commercial trade schedules of each scheduling area involved in market coupling in the form of aggregated netted external schedules.


6.   Each scheduled exchange calculator shall provide to TSOs, upon their request, with the values of scheduled exchanges related to the scheduling areas involved in the market coupling in the form of aggregated netted external schedules, including bilateral exchanges between two scheduling areas.


Article 113
Provision of information to other TSOs


1.   At the request of another TSO, the requested TSO shall calculate and provide:
(a) aggregated netted external schedules; and
(b) netted area AC position, where the scheduling area is interconnected to other scheduling areas via AC transmission links.


2.   When required for the creation of common grid models, in accordance with Article 70(1), each TSO operating a scheduling area shall provide any requesting TSO with:
(a) generation schedules; and
(b) consumption schedules.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG 0744

    Documentation    

 

 

 

 

Network Code on System Operation, Articles 110 - 113

 

Network Code on Emergency and Restoration (Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2196 of 24 November 2017 establishing a network code on electricity emergency and restoration - NC ER), Article 35

 

Supporting Document for the Network Code on Operational Planning and Scheduling of 26 March 2013

 

 

 

 

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    Links    

 

 

 

Scheduling unit

 

 

 

 

 

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