NEK EAD in the Balancing Market

NEK EAD participates at the balancing market for providing services from its own HPPs and PSHPPs and services from the power plants with long term power purchase agreements, AES-3C Maritsa East 1 TPP and ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3 TPP.  NEK EAD is one of the main providers of balancing energy in the country.

Special Balancing Group

The Public Supplier is a coordinator of the following balancing groups:

A group of renewable electricity producers comprising the following participants:

  • renewable electricity producers operating power generating facilities with a total installed electrical capacity less than 1 MW, which are connected to the transmission grid system, including producers connected both to the transmission and the distribution networks, where such producers have not chosen another coordinator of balancing group;
  • groups of renewable electricity producers operating power generating facilities with a total installed electrical capacity less than 1 MW the energy of which is purchased by a final supplier, where such producers have not chosen another coordinator of balancing group. Final suppliers act as coordinators of these groups.

Groups of producers:

  • group of producers of electricity from hydropower plants owned by Natsionalna Elektricheska Kompania EAD;
  • group of producers with which the public supplier has existing long term power purchase agreements;

A virtual trading balancing group created by the public supplier to/from which exchange schedules are communicated, including data schedules, the purpose of which is to aggregate all purchases and sales effected by the public supplier in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations.

NEK-Public Supplier as coordinator of special balancing groups:

  • calculates the imbalances of each member of the balancing group;
  • upon receipt of the monthly settlement statement form the Independent System Operator (ISO), calculates the physical and financial settlement of the group participants;
  • sets a group price for balancing energy (GBP) in relation to energy deficit or surplus in order to achieve mutual settlement of the SBG members’ imbalances, for each settlement period;
  • reallocates costs or revenue resulting from the settlement operations carried out in accordance with the common principles for participation in an SBG and the approved methodology;
  • calculates the imbalances of each group;
  • oversees performance of financial obligations.