Informal consultation – Design note on coordination of outages of Technical Installations (Outage Planning Coordination) (iCAROS phase 2)
What is this about?
Synergrid organises, on behalf of the electricity system operators, a joint informal consultation on a design note regarding the Outage Planning Coordination in the framework of iCAROS phase 2.
The purpose of this design note is to present a harmonised process for coordinating outages of technical installations. For transmission networks, this means extending the current process. For distribution networks, it introduces a new obligation, leading to a harmonised process regardless of whether the connection is on the transmission or distribution grid.
This harmonised process applies to:
- production and energy storage installations with a capacity of minimum 1 MW, connected to the transmission or distribution grid
- demand sites directly connected to the transmission grid
Outages of these installations must be reported in a timely manner to the relevant grid operator(s) (Elia and/or the DSO) via an availability plan. This enables grid operators to manage the network more securely, detect and solve congestion more quickly and plan maintenance more efficiently, with minimal impact on grid users.
Until now, this obligation only applied to large installations (≥ 25 MW) connected to the transmission grid. The European regulation on the operation of electricity transmission systems allows for the extension of this obligation to smaller production and storage installations, regardless of whether they are connected to the transmission or distribution grid, and to consumption sites directly connected to the transmission grid.
This extension therefore involves market parties for whom this type of information exchange is new.
Scope and consultation approach
These developments require updates to the contractual framework between grid operators and the relevant market parties.
Before adapting and formally consulting the proposed changes to this contractual framework, the grid operators would like to gather informal feedback on the general design of the harmonised process.
This consultation concerns the design note available at the bottom of this page.
For ease of reading, a short overview of the key roles and responsibilities is provided below.
The English version of the design note is available at the bottom of this page. Dutch and French translations are availalbe here:
Outage_Planning_Coordination_Design_Note_Synergrid - NL.pdf
Outage_Planning_Coordination_Design_Note_Synergrid - FR.pdf
Overview of roles and responsibilities in the harmonised outage coordination process
- The grid user designates an Outage Planning Agent (OPA). This is either the grid user itself or a third party appointed by the grid user.
- The OPA communicates, for a long-term horizon (3 years ahead), all unavailabilities (maintenance, testing or unexpected downtime ) of its relevant installations, and keeps this information up to date until real-time.
This information can be shared via existing exchange channels (web portal or communication between systems) or via a new mobile app if this consultation shows evidence of sufficient interest in developing such a tool.
How to participate in the consultation?
On behalf of the system operators, Synergrid invites all market parties to provide comments and suggestions on the design note. This can be done:
- via the web form below,
- or by sending an email to marketconsultation@synergrid.be.
Please also indicate whether your feedback is confidential or not.
The consultation period runs for 12 weeks, until 10 October 2025.
On Friday 3 October in the afternoon, Synergrid organized a hybrid workshop. During this session, further explanations on the design note have been given. The slides are available here and the meeting mintues are available here.
If you wish to participate in this workshop, please register by sending an email to marketconsultation@synergrid.be or by filling in the consultation form below and indicating in your comment that you would like to register for the workshop.