Balancing group customers

Balancing groups function as virtual energy volume accounts in the energy industry. They connect the electricity market (virtual world) with the energy flow in the power grids (physical world) and serve as an instrument to control the efficient use and correct, consistent balancing of energy. As an interface between the physical energy flow and the trade on the electricity exchange, balancing groups are the means to establish the balance between energy generation and energy consumption.

The Balance Responsible Parties (BRP) are responsible for the management of the balancing groups. The BRPs undertake to maintain the balance of their balancing groups by means of physical generation and consumption as well as the balance of the virtual energy flow between balancing groups (commercial transactions).If this balance is not possible for the BRP, 50Hertz ensures the system stability by using balancing energy and compensates the difference of the surplus or deficit. This use of balancing energy is compensated in the balancing group settlement between the BRP and 50Hertz.

The contractual framework for the management of balancing groups is provided by the standard balancing group contract published by the Federal Network Agency. The standard balancing group contract is used for contractual handling of all business transactions, such as trading, supply and grid activities. In this contract all relevant obligations of the contract parties up to the settlement of the accrued balancing energy are agreed upon. More detailed information about balancing group management and the right contact at 50Hertz can be found in ourcustumer brochure.

Balancing group for renewable energy under the EEG

The operators of electricity supply grids are obliged to maintain a balancing group which exclusively comprises energy that is remunerated with a feed-in tariff in accordance with the Renewable Energy Sources Act (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz, EEG) from suppliers in the grid area for transmission to the balancing group for energy in accordance with the Renewable Energy Sources Act of the operators of transmission grids. The obligation in the first sentence does not apply to system operators with less than 100,000 customers directly or indirectly connected to its distribution grid. (Extract from the Ordinance on Power System Access – StromNZV, §11)

Please find below a list of balancing groups managed by 50Hertz and the standard balancing group contract.

• Overview of balancing group contracts concluded
• Balancing group contract
• Balancing group contract - informational translation
• Balancing Groups Energy Exchanges Priority

Conclusion of a new balancing group contract

Please send an informal request with your full contact details to: bkm@50hertz.com

Changes to an existing balancing group contract

Please always use our BRP Portal in case of changes to the contract. If you do not have access yet, we will gladly arrange this for you. To this end, please send an e-mail to: bkm@50hertz.com

Market partner / market role codes

BDEW                    

EIC-CodenumbersBDEW                 

ENTSO-E 

Due to the multitude of balancing groups and their deviations, the occurring energy flows are counterbalanced. Only the remainder, i.e. the balance of all balancing group deviations (grid area balance), makes it necessary to use the procured balancing energy. The resulting costs are transferred to the balancing groups through the balancing group settlement.

The basis for the market communication prior to settlement is the presentation of a valid certificate. The process for balancing group settlement is laid down in the market rules for the balancing group settlement for electricity (MaBiS). This also determines the data exchange deadlines for the preparation of the settlement.

Market rules for the balancing group settlement for electricity

Uniform model to determine a standard cross-grid area balancing energy price (reBAP)

The standard cross-grid area balancing energy price (reBAP) applies to all German grid areas since May 2010.

In addition to the reBAP, the relevant balance of the used grid energy is also mentioned for each quarter-hour of the grid areas participating in the GCC (GCC balance). A plus sign corresponds to the purchase of positive grid energy due to deficient coverage of grid areas whereas a negative sign corresponds to the purchase of negative grid energy (delivery of surplus energy) in case of excess cover of the affected grid areas. 

Costs and revenues from balancing group settlements

Pursuant to the resolution BK6-12-024 of the Federal Network Agency of 25/10/2012 and the associated description of the model to calculate the reBAP, the costs of the balancing energy used to balance the grid area, the revenues from the balancing group settlement, the revenue surplus for the reduction of grid charges and the further allocation of higher/lower revenues are presented on a delta account. The delta account consists of corrections referring to the past, resulting e.g. from belated claims of balancing energy suppliers that could not yet be cleared at the time of the reBAP publication.

Model for the calculation of the reBAP

Processing of price corrections after publication of the reBAP

Financial balance

The financial balance of 50Hertz results from the comparison of the balancing energy costs for balancing of the grid area and the revenue from the balancing group settlement, taking into account a financial compensation from surplus income and revised amounts (delta account).  The balance, which represents the financial equilibrium, is given for each month in the table below. The values are extended with a delay of three months.

This area is no longer updated. The requirement to publish the financial balance was based on the Report on Transparency, which was replaced by the EU Transparency Regulation No. 543/2013. Therein, Art. 17.1.i. regulates the publication of the financial balance, which is provided centrally for all TSOs on the ENTSO-E transparency platform. While the financial balance only considered activation costs and balancing group payments, the financial balance also includes the costs for the provision of balancing power. Therefore, both publications lead to different values.

ENTSO-E Transparenzplattform

Historical data can be found in the archive.

The transmission system operators (TSOs) require the balances of all commercial transactions in the relevant grid area in the form of schedules between balancing groups in order to guarantee the correspondence between generation and consumption. To this end, the Balance Responsible Party (BRP) declares its expected energy deliveries for the next day to the TSO no later than 2:30 PM the previous day.

Process description Nomination of schedules in Germany using the ENTSO-E Scheduling System (ESS)

Download (valid until 30/09/2023)

Download (valid from 01/10/2023)

Rules on the transmission of schedule data can be found here: Market communication

Subsequent changes to the internal grid area schedules have to be received no later than 4 PM of the next (business) day (see Ordinance on Power System Access – StromNZV, §5 para. 3.A business day is considered any day from Monday to and including Friday, with the exception of official holidays:

• New Year’s Day (01/01)
• Epiphany (06/01)
• International Women's Day (01/03)
• Good Friday
• Easter Monday
• International Workers’ Day (01/05)
• Ascension of Jesus
• Whit Monday
• Corpus Christi
• Ascension of Mary (15/08)
• International Children's Day (20/09)
• German Unity Day (03/10)
• Reformation Day (31/10)
• All Saints (01/11)
• Day of Repentance and Prayer
• Christmas Eve (24/12)
• 1st Day of Christmas (25/12)
• 2nd Day of Christmas (26/12)
• New Year’s Eve (31/12)