Fast Reserve

Who can participate?

Service Description

Fast Reserve provides the rapid and reliable delivery of active power through an increased output from generation or a reduction in consumption from demand sources, following receipt of an electronic despatch instruction from National Grid.

Why is it needed?

Fast Reserve is used, in addition to other energy balancing services, to control frequency changes that might arise from sudden, and sometimes unpredictable, changes in generation or demand.

Major Technical Requirements

A Fast Reserve provider must:

• Have the capability to delivery within 2 minutes of instruction
• Have the delivery rate greater than or equal to 25MW / minute
• Be able to sustain output for minimum 15 minutes
• Halt or start to unwind Fast Reserve delivery within 2 minutes of instruction
  Have the unwind rate greater than or equal to 25MW / minute
• Deliver minimum 50 MW for a single instructable unit or minimum 70MW aggregation of more than one unit
• Deliver against either constant MW value or known MW profile

Procurement Process

The Fast Reserve contracting process has three key stages:

Pre-qualification: Potential providers are invited to fill in a questionnaire about their plant capabilities. Success at this stage allows a party to enter into a framework agreement and offer an Optional and/or Firm service to National Grid.

Optional Service: Upon successful pre-qualification, a framework agreement is entered into which puts no obligation on either party but allows optional despatch of Fast Reserve when available. Payments are subject to Ancillary Services Agreement.

Firm Service: Upon successful pre-qualification and facilitated by the same framework agreement as for the Optional service, providers have the opportunity to participate into a monthly tender. They need to provide guaranteed availability of their plant to be in a state of readiness to deliver Fast Reserve for subsequent despatch as required. Ancillary Services payments are made subject to tender acceptance.
Payment

Payment Structure

Optional Service
Providers of the Optional Service will receive an Enhanced Rate Availability Fee (£/h) payment for periods of time where they provide National Grid (following despatch) with enhanced MW run-up and run-down rates.  The Enhanced Rate Availability Fee is defined by the provider in the framework agreement.

Firm Service
Providers of the Firm Service will receive an Availability Fee (£/h) for each hour in a Tendered Service Period where the service is available. National Grid will notify ‘windows’ during which it requires the service to be provided, for which a Window Initiation Payment will be made. During a window, Providers may also specify a Positional Fee (the cost of putting plant in a position where fast reserve may be provided).  All fees for the Firm Service are submitted by the provider as part of the tender.
An utilisation fee (£/MW/h) is payable for the energy delivered in both services (for BMU participants via a bid/offer acceptance).  For the firm service this utilisation fee will be capped by the tender parameter submitted.

BSAD: Not Applicable

ABSVD: The calculation of ABSVD may include the instructed volume from non-BMU providers in relation to the utilisation of Fast Reserve.

Summary of Further Information
Fast Reserve Pre-qualification Questionnaire, Generic Fast Reserve Terms, Process Flow Programme, Market information and Reports can be found via the link below.
Fast Reserve