Automatically translated with deepl.com.
The capacity reserve is a reserve that can be used in situations of scarcity on the electricity market.
In accordance with the Energy Industry Act (Section 13e EnWG), the capacity reserve is intended to create a reserve of 2 GW outside the electricity market from the winter half-year 2020/2021. This capacity can be held by generation plants, storage facilities and controllable loads.
The capacity reserve is necessary to support the system balance in exceptional and unforeseeable situations and thus maintain the balance between electricity generation and consumption.
The capacity reserve is to be used to ensure security of supply if, despite free pricing on the electricity exchange, there is insufficient supply to cover the demand for electrical energy. The plants tied up in the capacity reserve should also, as far as possible, take over the function of the grid reserve. If the plants are located in regions suitable for the grid, the transmission system operators (TSOs) will also request them in cases where it is necessary for system security due to grid congestion.
The German TSOs carry out a joint procurement procedure to form the capacity reserve.
Relevant information on the tender for the 2026-2028 delivery period will be published on the following subpage Publications on the 2026-2028 delivery period.
The electricity exchange with the highest trading volume for hourly contracts for the German price zone on the spot market in the first quarter of the previous calendar year is EPEX SPOT.
The previous ID auction at 3 p.m. for the following day has been replaced by the following three new European intraday (ID) auctions since 13.06.2024
1) IDA1 at 3 p.m. for the following day,
2) IDA2 at 10 p.m. for the following day and
3) IDA3 at 10 a.m. for the period 12-24 p.m. of the same day.
The basis for the introduction of these new ID auctions is the amended European CACM Regulation (COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2015/1222 of July 24, 2015); more information: https://www.nemo-committee.eu/assets/files/IDAs-information%20package-final-c0ca4ca554dd80597fdb286076f79017.pdf
Failure to clear the market in one of the three European auctions, including the additional dates of the new IDA2 and IDA3, is decisive for the activation of the capacity reserve.
The Federal Network Agency has issued a decision under file number 4.12.05.03/14 to adjust the bidding deadline for the capacity reserve tender for the four German transmission system operators. For the fourth delivery period of the capacity reserve tender procedure, which begins on October 1, 2026, the bidding deadline has been postponed to March 2, 2026.