+ Discover the stages of connection and/or remuneration of storage units through market mechanisms

Beneficiaries

• Market participants seeking remuneration for storage

• Storage project holders

RTE supports you in integrating your energy storage project into the power system

Electricity storage flexibilities (stationary, decentralised, etc.), as other types of flexibility options, can provide several services for the grid: they can contribute to the supply-demand balance at different timeframes (from long-term to real-time), reduce network congestion, reduce power losses, etc. Flexibilities, from all technologies, are part of the core components for transforming the power system. In recent years, they have been presented as possible alternatives to traditional generation and network infrastructures. They also help support the growth of the renewable energy capacity to further decarbonise the energy mix.

Our objective is to enable all flexibilities including storage to connect to the network and to sell on all markets.

Several market mechanisms are already open to the participation of stationary storage equipment connected directly to a public electricity network or indirectly through installations belonging to a user of that network.

Are you looking to get connected? Receive remuneration for your storage facility on the markets? Keep up to date with developments in the power system? RTE provides you with support in all phases of your project.

Connecting you to the transmission grid

If you wish to connect through installations belonging to a user of this network, please contact the account manager of that user in your local customer service department.

If you wish to connect to the public transmission system, please contact the grid connection department of RTE (rte-fcent-dp-raccordement@rte-france.com).

Pending publication in the Technical Reference Documentation (DTR) of a connection procedure applicable to storage facilities, the connection of a storage facility to the public transmission system (PTS) follows the main principles applicable to generation facilities.

1. The exploratory study: an optional first study

An exploratory study aims to provide the applicant with a rapid estimate of the feasibility of the project as well as a general idea of the cost of the proposed connection solution and its time to completion. The exploratory study does not constitute a quote and is not binding.

A request for an exploratory study is made through the completed specific data collection sheet D1 which is transmitted to the grid connection department of RTE (rte-fcent-dp-raccordement@rte-france.com).

RTE sends the results of the exploratory study to the applicant within six weeks of receipt of the full application. However, this deadline may be revised at the request of RTE with the agreement of the applicant (especially in the case of multiple applications).

• Generator connection procedure (procedure applicable to storage facilities in consultation with the Storage WG in French – account creation on Concerte.fr site required)

2. Technical and financial proposal (TFP)

The aim of the technical and financial proposal is to establish the conditions for connection, on the basis of data provided by the connection applicant: technical consistency, costs and deadlines for completion. It also presents the connection diagram. The TFP constitutes a quote. It is binding for RTE from its receipt. Its signing binds the applicant.

A request for a TFP is made through the completed specific data collection sheets D1 and D2 which is transmitted to the grid connection department of RTE (rte-fcent-dp-raccordement@rte-france.com). In addition to the information required at the exploratory stage, it must provide the details of your future electrical installation. From receipt of the complete data, RTE has a standard period of three months to carry out the connection study and provide the TFP.

In the TFP, RTE proposes a connection solution that:

• complies with the rules and regulations defined in the Technical Reference Documentation;

• meets the best cost at the time of demand, particularly in relation to the applicant’s electricity quality needs;

• best respects the time-frame requirement expressed by the applicant, taking into account the time required for the appraisal of administrative procedures and the work.

Under the TFP, RTE is committed to a connection cost amount as well as to the deadline for completion.
The TFP binds the connection applicant to finance the procedures and studies undertaken by RTE ahead of the work.

The applicant has 3 months to accept the TFP from the date of receipt. The applicant sends RTE a signed copy along with the payment of the advance according to the payment schedule mentioned in the TFP.

The validity of a TFP may be extended for an additional period of up to 6 months in total. The request for extension must reach RTE by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt at least 5 working days before the expiry of the TFP.

The signature of the TFP allows the launch of the study and consultation phase:

RTE establishes the best route for the connection link with the public authorities and residents. RTE may launch the detailed studies in order to accurately value the cost and the time for conducting the work.

Within 3 months of the signature of the TFP, RTE shall provide you with specifications containing the requirements for the operation of the protection systems, for metering, for the exchange of information and for the constructive capacities of your installation. These requirements are designed to ensure that your facilities will be safely connected to the Public Transmission System.

RTE regularly sends you information concerning the progress of your connection.

3. The connection agreement

The completion of the detailed studies allows for the establishment of a connection agreement which sets out the consistency of the work, the cost and the time limit for making the connection available.

The connection agreement binds RTE and the customer, who must prepare the part of its electrical installation allowing connection.

It must be signed prior to the work.

RTE carries out the work after signature of the connection agreement and keeps you regularly informed of their progress until the connection is made available.

4. Access to the network

Prior to the commissioning, you need to sign the transmission system access contract with RTE, as well as the operating and conduct agreement.

The transmission system access contract sets out the commitments for metering, subscribed power, and planned service interruptions. It also specifies the terms of liability, pricing and billing.

The operating and commissioning agreement defines the responsibilities of each participant to ensure proper insertion of the facility into the power system and the rules of operation and commissioning to be followed to ensure the safety of property and persons.

Receive remuneration for storage on the markets

Any storage facility connected to the PTS or the PDS or which has contracted a metering service can be remunerated for services on the electricity markets and in balancing mechanisms: frequency ancillary services, balancing mechanism and capacity mechanism. Adaptations are being made to extend opportunities for remuneration of new flexibilities to all systems.

Providing frequency ancillary services

Experiments are underway to enable storage facilities to contribute to Frequency Containment Reserve (FCR) or primary reserve.

To participate, you must meet the following key requirements:

• provide at least a maximum power ratio of 1.1 MW for 1 MW of FCR;
• at any time, in case of a change in frequency alert, or following a frequency deviation of at least 200 mHz, the reserve must be able to be activated at full power, upwards and downwards, for at least 15 minutes;
• demonstrate that the storage facility maintains the change from normal to alert state, as well as the conditions in the alert state detailed above, over past historical days;
• set up an observability and information exchange system with RTE (remote signalling and telemetry, 10 seconds).

The steps involved in your contract are described on the Providing Frequency Ancillary Services page. Please ensure you take into account the delays in connecting the telecommunications/telecommissioning line, which may take several months.

Are you already contributing to Frequency Containment Reserve and interested in setting up an experiment to participate in Automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve (aFRR)? Your usual sales contact or marketservices@rte-france.com is at your service to help.

Participate in the capacity mechanism

You can be remunerated for your capacities on the capacity mechanism and respond to the call for tenders for new capacities for the mechanism which provides you with visibility and a stable capacity price over 7 years. Depending on your connection diagram, you will also have to fulfill certain obligations.

* sale of certificates on the capacity market in exchange for a commitment of availability, namely grid injection at a certain power or curtailment according to the needs of the power system during peak periods of days reported by RTE (PP2 time slots)

** coverage of your consumption during peak periods of days signalled by RTE (PP1 days) by purchasing an equivalent volume of certificates

*** In the case of combining a battery with power generation sources of another sector (wind, photovoltaic, etc.), the generation site must be certified under the energy source of those generation sources to which it is combined.

The various steps of your contract and commitments are described on the dedicated capacity mechanism page You will need to ensure that you are under contract for and fulfilling your commitments on the market mechanisms downstream of the capacity mechanism.

Participate in the balancing mechanism

The balancing mechanism terms and conditions have evolved to allow the participation of all means of storage. To ensure the rapid arrival of new storage flexibilities, the regulatory framework is evolving in successive stages.

Since the entry into force of the balancing mechanism terms and conditions of June 2020, an intermediate step (step 1) now allows a storage capacity to be assimilated to a generation site or a consumption site. It can therefore be remunerated for its flexibility on the balancing mechanism in terms of generation (generation curve) only or in consumption (consumption curve) only.

Since February 2022, the second step (step 2) allow a storage capacity to be fully remunerated for its additional flexibility compared to conventional sites, i.e. generation and consumption.

The subsequent integration steps, to be agreed on within the working groups Evolution of the MA-RE Terms and Conditions (MA-RE WG) and/or Storage (Storage WG) (in French) accessible via the Concerte.fr site (an account creation is required to access the documents), will include allowing storage to aggregate with other means (generation and/or consumption).

For further information, please contact your account manager or marketservices@rte-france.com.

Additional info

Learn more on connection

• View the transmission constraints forecast in the S3REnR
• Consult the reception capacity of the grid (Caparéseau)
• Connecting a generation facility

Learn more on flexibilities

• Remuneration for your flexibilities

• Providing frequency ancillary services

• Participate in the balancing mechanism

• Participate in the capacity mechanism