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Providing frequency ancillary services

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To be remunerated for your flexibilities, you may participate in the frequency ancillary services by becoming a reserve provider.

Beneficiaries

  • Market participants

  • Generators

  • Storage units

  • Consumers

Frequency Ancillary services

The operation of the power system requires that generation must be equal to consumption at all times.

RTE ensures this balance in real time, factoring in consumption and generation variability (weather, power generation availability, etc.). To maintain the balance between supply and demand, RTE requires dispatchable power reserves, both upward and downward, from capacities based in France or the rest of Europe.

There are three types of reserves which can be successively applied:

image-redimensionnable

Frequency ancillary services are dispatched automatically according to the signals of the system:

  • the frequency deviation of the Continental Europe Synchronous Area from the reference frequency (50 Hz) for primary frequency control,
  • the load-frequency control level for secondary frequency control.

The characteristics and performance of the frequency control are described in the technical reference documentation (chapter 4.1).

Contracting with RTE

The provision of frequency ancillary services is open to all capacities previously certified in mainland France, regardless of the technology and the level of connection.

  • Contracting of frequency containment reserve capacity is done through cross-border tenders on D-1 via the FCR Cooperation.
  • Since June 19th 2024, RTE contracts automatic frequency restoration reserve capacity through a national call for tenders on D-1 according to the European Reglement (UE) n°2019/943 of June 5th 2019 on the national electricity market.
  • Exchanges between reserve providers are possible at any price for the two types of reserve. These exchanges take place with RTE through NERs (Reserve Exchange Notifications).

To become reserve provider, you are required to comply with the Chapter 4 « Frequency Ancillary Services » of the Market Rules, established in consultation with the market players and approved by the French Energy Regulatory Commission. For this, you must sign a participation agreement as a reserve provider.

To do this, you need to:

  1. fill in the questionnaire in annex 4.A10 of the Chapter 4 « Frequency Ancillary Services » of the Market Rules   designed to verify the suitability of the applicant, 
  2. if you do not have EIC code, please make the request through the online form,
  3. fill in and send annex 4.A1 (participation agreement model) and  annex 4.A2 (list of contacts) of Chapter 4 « Frequency Ancillary Services » of the Market Rules, 
  4. send the documents and information listed in annex 4.A1,
  5. request access to the RTE telecontrol information exchange system,
  6. get your capacities certified in accordance with article 4.G  and  annexes 4.A12 et 4.A13 of Chapter 4 « Frequency Ancillary Services » of the Market Rules, 
  7. declare the elements making up your reserve perimeter using annex 4.A4 of Chapter 4 « Frequency Ancillary Services » of the Market Rules.

Your services as a reserve provider

RTE offers a set of services for each reserve provider to carry out and optimise their activity, including:

To access these services, you may need to create an account and/or hold a PKI certificate.

 

Day-ahead tenders for the contracting of frequency containment reserve capacities

RTE’s frequency containment reserve capacity requirement is established in accordance with the provisions of the “Joint proposal for dimensioning rules applicable to the FCR developed by all the mainland Europe TSOs in accordance with Article 153, paragraph 2, of the SOGL”.

The ENTSO-E Continental Europe Synchronous Area periodically sends (in principle annually) RTE the minimum value of symmetric frequency containment reserve to be set up for the French control area for this period.

RTE contracts its frequency containment reserve capacité requirement through a cross-border call for tenders on D-1 via the FCR cooperation.

The reserve providers place their bids and consult the results of the call for tenders through the www.regelleistung.net platform.

The bids are selected by means of a single algorithm common to all TSOs. Import/export constraints by country are taken into account in the selection process.

Bids must correspond to symmetrical products (downward and upward available capacity) and are based on 4 hours period (6 possible bids for the day corresponding to the periods [0h ; 4h [ ; [4h ; 8 [ ; [8h ; 12h [ ; [12h ; 16h [ ; [16h ; 20h [et [20h ; 24h [).

If an indivisible bid is submitted, the proposed power volume must be less than a maximum threshold set at 25 MW.

The minimum capacity that can be offered in the tender is 1 MW.

Reserve providers must submit their capacity bids on the platform before 8am on D-1. The results are available at 8:30am.

Market players with certified constructive capacity in frequency containment reserve are obliged to take part in the call for tenders.

Successful capacity bids are remunerated at the marginal price resulting from the call for tenders.

Activated energies are valued at the spot price at 15-minute intervals.

Each month, RTE pays the reserve provider the sum of the valuation of the FCR energy supplied.

Each month, the reserve provider pays RTE the sum of the value of the FCR energy saved.

Day-ahead tenders for the contracting of automatic frequency restoration reserve capacities

The automatic frequency restoration reserve (aFRR) requirement of RTE is calculated quarterly in accordance with the method described in the Load-Frequency Control Block operational agreement (LFC block).

From the entry into force of the new version of the Load-Frequency Control Block operational agreement, which was the subject of a public consultation from March 12th to April 9th, 2025, the automatic frequency restoration reserve requirement is calculated on a biannual basis: one set of values for the summer semester (April-September) and one set of values for the winter semester (October-March).

RTE contacts its aFRR capacity requirements through a daily call for tenders one D-1.

The bids are for a 1-hour period or for consecutive hours. These bids can be asymmetrical (bids for available capacity downwards only and bids for available capacity upwards only) or symmetrical (identical volumes and prices upwards and downwards). However, symmetrical bids will no longer be authorised from the beginning of 2026.


If an indivisible bid is submitted, the proposed power volume must be less than a maximum threshold set at 80 MW,(subject to compliance with the compulsory conditions detailed in the guide SI Racoon).

The minimum capacity that can be offered in the call for tenders is 1 MW.

Reserve providers must submit their capacity bids on the RACOON platform before 9am on D-1. The results are available at 9.30am.

Market players with certified constructive capacity in aFRR are obliged to take part in the call for tenders.

Successful capacity bids are remunerated at the marginal price resulting from the call for tenders.

The aFRR is activated by means of a specific call for tenders for energy (see paragraph below entitled ‘aFRR energy mobilisation procedures’).

The automatic frequency restoration reserve requirements for the 2nd quarter of 2025, applicable up until the date of entry into force of the new version of the LFC Block agreement, are described as follows:

Business days

Non-business days

The automatic frequency restoration reserve requirements for the summer semester 2025, applicable from the date of entry into force of the new version of the LFC Block agreement, are described as follows:

aFRR energy mobilisation procedures

In accordance with the European Electricity Balancing Regulation, the TSOs have set up the joint platform PICASSO (Platform for the International Coordination of Automated Frequency Restoration and Stable System Operation) for the exchange of energy of aFRR (automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve).

RTE has connected to the PICASSO platform on 2 April 2025.

The PICASSO page presents the procedures to be followed by players to submit their energy offers, the activation procedures and the settlement of activated offers.
 

Compensation related to a frequency ancillary services failure due to a balancing mechanism operation

A compensation relating to a frequency ancillary services failure due to a balancing mechanism operation is paid by the reserve providers to RTE. This compensation is revised SA on 1 April of each year Y, for the current period from 1 April of the year Y to 31 March of the year Y+1.

It is calculated as follows:

Calcul.jpg

Where:

  • ΣA-1 additional costs SSY is the sum of the ancillary services additional costs (EUR) of the year Y-1, determined in accordance with the Chapter 2 « Balancing Mechanism » of the Market Rules,

  • ΣA -1 SSY reconstituted volumes is the sum of the ancillary services reconstituted volumes for the year Y-1 (in hMW), determined in accordance with the Chapter 2 « Balancing Mechanism » of the Market Rules,

  • ΣY-1 aVU+ (1-a)VD is the sum for all Reserve Providers and for all Half-Hourly Intervals for the year Y-1, and for all Types of Reserve, of the volumes V (in hMW), where VU is the upward volume,

  • and VD is the downward volume,

  • a is the ratio of upward/downward compensation.

S computing for the year 2024

  • Sum of additional costs SSY for 2023 : 123 720 033,02 €
  • Sum of SSY reconstituted volumes in 2023 : 814 947,89 MWh
  • 2023 balance : 1 874 977,71€ (as a reminder, the 2022 balance was - 28 320 246,47  €)
  • S2024= 140,54 €/hMW

S computing for the year 2025

  • Sum of additional costs SSY for 2024 : 88 852 201,94 €
  • Sum of SSY reconstituted volumes in 2024 : 730 887,92 MWh
  • 2024 balance : 15 871 682,29  € (as a reminder, the 2023 balance was 1 874 977,71   €)
  • S2025= 3,76 €/hMW 

Regulated Capacity Price

The Regulated Capacity Price (PFC) is the regulated price of the reserve obligation remuneration, it is revised each year on the 1st of January.

The PFC2025 value is 5,577 €/MW (for fifteen minutes).

This fixed price concerns:

  • for the remuneration of FCR capacities in case of certain fallback configurations due to an issue on the FCR call for tenders.
  • the formula for calculating the amount of compensation related to a negative reserve balance (FCR or aFRR).
  • the formula for calculating the rebate amount in case of failures leading to a negative reserve balance (FCR or aFRR).
  • reserve providing groups, in the formula for calculating penalties in case of failures leading to a negative reserve balance (FCR or aFRR).

Additional information

Reference documentation

Contact

For any questions, please contact marketservices@rte-france.com