Beneficiaries

• Market participants

• Generators

Principle of scheduling

To provide RTE with a detailed overview of reserves at its disposal from the day ahead and to manage the supply-demand balance in real time, market players must send, according to the assets making up their portfolio of activity:

• their forecast generation schedules and technical constraints (scheduling agents),

• their frequency ancillary services scheduling (reserve providers),

• and their balancing bids (balancing service providers).

These data must be sent before the system access deadline, i.e.: D-1 at 4:30PM. They can be updated throughout day D at each intraday gate closure.

Scheduling involves transmitting to RTE, each day for the next day, a forecast dispatch schedule containing the active power time series of a basic scheduling unit for a day D. It enables RTE to know the margins that will be available the next day, but also to better anticipate system constraints.

Scheduling concerns all types of market participants and not only those participating in the balancing mechanism. It is mandatory for each facility connected to the Public Transmission System, and when they are not marginal, for each installation connected to a Public Distribution System.

How to send your schedules

First of all, you need to declare the resolution of the schedules using the GIPSE application, sent at 30', 15' or 5’ intervals.

Then, forecast dispatch schedules are transmitted via TOPASE. To connect, you must have a PKI certificate and the rights relating to the application.

Schedules can be sent for a delivery day D from D-7 with, at a minimum, an initial version expected no later than 12:30PM D-1. The schedules can then be updated at each gate closure time of the day up until 10PM D in order to provide RTE with the best overview possible.

What is a forecast dispatch schedule?

A forecast dispatch schedule for a delivery day D is presented in the form of a set of five values made up of 5 time series at 30', 15' or 5’ intervals:

• active power time series

• upward frequency containment reserve time series

• downward frequency containment reserve time series

• upward frequency restoration reserve time series

• downward frequency restoration reserve time series

Contracting with RTE

To become a scheduling agent, you are required to comply with the Chapter 1 « Scheduling System » of the Market Rules established in consultation with the market participants and approved by the French Energy Regulatory Commission, by signing a participation agreement as a scheduling agent.

To do this, you need to:

1. Fill in and send the application form for acquiring the status of scheduling agent, available in the Chapter 1 « Scheduling System » of the Market Rules (Appendix 1.A1), as well as the documents and information listed in the form,
2. Send the information contained in the following document: List of elements to provide for the participation agreement as a balancing service provider and/or scheduling agent,
3. Declare the elements making up your scheduling perimeter via the model provided in the Chapter 1 « Scheduling System » of the Market Rules (Appendix 1.A.3),
4. Take IS tests prior to starting your activity.

Additional information

• List of scheduling agents
• Participate in the balancing mechanism
• Providing frequency ancillary services
   

Reference documentation

• Market Rules : General provisions 
• Market Rules : Chapter 1 – Scheduling System
• Implementation guide for data exchanges with RTE for the management of perimeters, the control of achieved volumes and the payment to the supplier within the framework of the Balancing Mechanism
• GIPSE documentation for declaring balancing perimeters
• TOPASE documentation for submitting standard and specific bids and forecast dispatch schedules 
   

Contact

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