The electricity system operator (ESO) at National Grid has completed its first weekly frequency response auction.
The auction for services starting at 11:00pm on Friday (14 June) cleared at a price of £5.25/MW/h for overnight blocks and £3.25/MW/h for daytime periods. Contracts were won by all four of the parties that entered – Grid Beyond, Limejump, BESS Claredown and Equinicity.
Commenting on the results, National Grid ESO ancillary services development manager Rhiannon Marsh said: “We’re really excited to have launched our first weekly frequency response auction trial.
“Moving from monthly tenders to weekly auctions means we can remove barriers to entry, we can increase participation in our balancing services, promote competition, ultimately drive down prices and delivery value for end consumers.”
Frequency response services are used to maintain the frequency of the power grid at a stable 50 hertz by adjusting loads on the network to counteract any sudden changes.
The trial is just one strand of a major overhaul of balancing and ancillary services being undertaken by the ESO as part of its efforts to make the power grid ready for zero-carbon operation by 2025.
Confirming plans for the auctions in August last year, the ESO said the move to close real-time procurement will enable the participation of wind and solar generators that are unable to forecast their availability with sufficient certainty to participate in monthly tenders.