E-Redes, operator of the electricity distribution network in mainland Portugal, received 4,117 bids in the second flexibility auction, around seven times more than in the first edition, exceeding 60% of the average power requested.
According to the statement issued today by the company, the second auction aroused the interest of 23 service providers, with 163 assets available, in a total of 195 qualified out of the more than 2000 registered on the platform.
The flexibility auction is a mechanism that mobilizes consumers and other agents to adjust consumption or production at times when the electricity grid needs support.
The offers totaled 82.9 megawatts (MW), distributed across 163 installations, including 41 from industrial customers, 94 through aggregators, fifteen operators of electric vehicle charging stations, seven storage units and six production units.
The number of bids was around seven times higher than the first auction, says E-Redes.
The process covered 17 zones and three types of products – ‘Dynamic’, ‘Secure’ and ‘Restore’ – which respond to different network operation scenarios
“In ‘Dynamic’ cases there is greater predictability and correspond to the use of flexibility during periods of network maintenance work”, details the company. In ‘Secure’ this prediction is made by estimation and the service used serves to manage congestion at certain points in the network, while in “’Restore’, there is no predictability and they correspond to services used to support the reestablishment of the network in the face of sporadic events resulting from network failures”, he adds.
E-Redes expects to accept 82% of the bids received, corresponding to the most competitive offers and adjusted to the needs of the network. By the end of 2025, the contracts will have to be validated, including qualification tests, with the start of use of the services expected in January 2026.