Greece’s IPTO connects to balancing energy platform PICASSO

The Independent Power Transmission Operator of Greece announced that it connected to PICASSO. It is the second transmission system operator or TSO in Southeastern Europe that joined the European platform, so now it can exchange balancing energy with its counterpart in Bulgaria. In addition, IPTO (or Admie, in Greek) has proposed the introduction of negative prices in the domestic balancing market.

The Platform for the International Coordination of Automated Frequency Restoration and Stable System Operation (PICASSO) optimizes balancing energy between control blocks in the Continental Europe synchronous area. Bulgaria’s Electricity System Operator (ESO) joined last month, but it was isolated as it didn’t share electrical borders with any other operational member. Neighboring Greece’s transmission system operator IPTO (or, in Greek, Admie), has just connected to the platform, so the two countries can now exchange balancing energy.

Denmark, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Italy are a geographically separate group within PICASSO. Lithuania’s Litgrid joined earlier this month.

Key step for common European energy market

By becoming the 14th operational member, IPTO made a key step in the process of formation of a resilient and efficient common European energy market, the statement adds. The PICASSO methodology and algorithm are intended primarily for the cross-border provision of secondary reserve so that the electricity grid’s operating frequency remains stable.

There are 29 TSOs from the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity – ENTSO-E in the project. Additionally, North Macedonia’s MEPSO, which has electrical borders with both Bulgaria and Greece, is an observer in PICASSO. The platform doesn’t include the rest of the Western Balkans.

With the latest achievement, IPTO and ESO can jointly benefit from the automatic frequency restoration reserve (aFRR). Romania has been delaying its connection to PICASSO.

The platform collects and rates all available offers for balancing energy from aFRR according to their prices, placing them into a common merit order list – CMOL.

PICASSO helping reduce number of balancing price spike events

The new method for calculating cross-border marginal prices on PICASSO has greatly improved performance as the number of instances of electricity balancing price spikes dropped, according to European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER). Integrating balancing markets across borders lowers costs and improves efficiency by allowing TSOs to activate cheaper balancing energy bids, the body explained.

In other relevant news, IPTO has proposed the introduction of negative prices in the balancing market in Greece of EUR 50 per MWh at most for one year, Energypress reported. The change would enter into force on allocation day April 10, ahead of Easter, a critical moment for grid stability.

The TSO said the limit should be boosted to EUR 15,000 per MWh after joining PICASSO.