The European Electricity Balancing Platforms and the Imbalance Netting Process: Terna's participation in the International Grid Control Cooperation

The present paper intends to give a general overview on the future European Electricity Balancing Platforms, with a detailed focus on the International Grid Control Cooperation (IGCC) appointed by Entso-e as the European Platform to implement the Imbalance Netting Process (INP). With the entry into force of the EU Regulation 2017/2195 (so called Electricity Balancing Guidelines, EBGL), all European Transmission System Operators (TSOs) shall implement European Platforms for the cross-border exchange of balancing reserves and a Platform for the Imbalance Netting process. Imbalance Netting is the coordinated process among TSOs aimed at avoiding simultaneous counter-activation of automatic Frequency Restoration Reserves (aFRR). Terna, as the Italian TSO, will participate in the Imbalance Netting Platform, according to the timeline defined by the abovementioned Regulation. In this context, the paper describes the imbalance netting process, Terna's participation and the foreseen benefits for the Italian electrical system.