ENTSO-EPICASSO is one of the four European balancing platforms developed by European TSOs with the support of ENTSO-E. It allows cross border exchanges of balancing energy from frequency restoration reserves with automatic activation. Following a successful launch on 1 June, more than a month ahead of the legal deadline, PICASSO registered its first exchange of reserves on 22 June. This marks another important step towards increasing security of supply and diminishing overall costs for consumers.
This follows the connection to PICASSO of the German Transmission System Operators and of APG (one of the Austrian Transmission System Operators). Together with CEPS, the Czech Transmission System Operator - that connected on the day of the launch - 50 Hertz, Amprion, TenneT Germany, TransnetBW and APG form the initial set of TSOs exchanging balancing energy from frequency restoration reserves with automatic activation (aFRR) via the PICASSO platform.
With the upcoming go-live of the platform for Manual Frequency Restoration Reserves (mFRR), MARI, the main target of the Electricity Balancing Regulation which is to integrate and harmonise balancing markets through the support of European platforms will be achieved.
ENTSO-E congratulates the TSOs of the PICASSO platform for this great achievement and looks forward continuing to support its Members in the implementation of the Electricity Balancing Regulation.
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About PICASSO
PICASSO is the implementation project endorsed by all TSOs through the ENTSO-E Market Committee. PICASSO project includes 26 TSO members and 4 TSO observers (see PICASSO webpage for further details).
The project establishes the European platform for the exchange of balancing energy from frequency restoration reserves with automatic activation or aFRR-Platform, pursuant to Article 21 of the Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2195 of 23 November 2017 establishing a guideline on electricity balancing (EB Regulation). With the approval by ACER of the all TSOs’ proposal regarding the Implementation Framework for PICASSO on 24 January 2020, the legal deadline for implementation of the platform was set to 30 months later, on 24 July 2022, in accordance with Article 22.6 of EB GL.
PICASSO went live on 1 June and first exchanges were registered on 22 June.
About the European Balancing Platforms
More information on TERRE, IGCC, PICASSO and MARI.
About ENTSO-E
ENTSO-E, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity, is the association for the cooperation of the European transmission system operators (TSOs). The 39 member TSOs, representing 35 countries, are responsible for the secure and coordinated operation of Europe’s electricity system, the largest interconnected electrical grid in the world. In addition to its core, historical role in technical cooperation, ENTSO-E is also the common voice of TSOs.
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