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Overview

Italy North Capacity Calculation Process​

The Italy North Capacity Calculation Region (CCR) comprises Italy and its neighboring countries to the north, including Austria, France, Slovenia, and Switzerland.

IN CCR

The Transmission System Operators (TSOs) involved—Terna (Italy), RTE (France), APG (Austria), ELES (Slovenia), and Swissgrid (Switzerland)—collaborate to determine the available cross-border transmission capacity, ensuring both market efficiency and grid security.

Key Features​

  • Methodology: The Italy North CCR employs a coordinated Net Transfer Capacity (NTC) approach. This method calculates the maximum exchangeable power between bidding zones without compromising the security of the grid.

  • Critical Network Elements (CNEs): TSOs identify and monitor CNEs that significantly influence cross-zonal power exchanges. These elements are selected based on sensitivity analyses and are reviewed periodically to reflect changing grid conditions.

  • Remedial Actions: Both preventive and curative remedial actions are considered to maximize available capacity:

    • Preventive actions: Implemented before real-time operations, such as topology changes are PST taps change.
    • Curative actions: Applied during real-time operations, in response to a contingency.

  • Generation and Load Shift Keys (GLSKs): Each TSO defines GLSKs to model how generation and load adjustments affect power flows, aiding in accurate capacity calculations.

  • Capacity Calculation Process:

    • TSOs exchange individual grid models to create a Common Grid Model (CGM).
    • Using the CGM, the coordinated capacity calculator assesses the system's ability to handle cross-border exchanges.
    • The process determines the Total Transfer Capacity (TTC), from which the Net Transfer Capacity (NTC) is derived by subtracting the Transmission Reliability Margin (TRM).

  • Validation and Publication: Calculated capacities are validated by the TSOs and then provided to market operators for allocation in day-ahead and intraday market timeframes.

Regulatory Framework​

The Italy North capacity calculation methodology aligns with the EU Regulation 2015/1222 on Capacity Allocation and Congestion Management (CACM), supporting the integration of European electricity markets.