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Navigating energy markets and understanding the mechanisms for valuing electrical flexibility can quickly become complex.
This is why Orus Energy is positioned as an expert in multi-mechanism valuation, to optimize the remuneration of its customers' electrical flexibility.
Why are there several mechanisms?
Several mechanisms exist in order to meet the various challenges of flexibility. First, depending on the time of year, the mechanisms used are not the same as for example the capacity mechanism which is specific to the winter period.
On the other hand, the mechanisms do not all meet the same needs and their plurality makes it possible to respond to various problems.
What are they?
The capacity mechanism is a system set up by RTE to guarantee the security of supply, especially during peak winter consumption. It is based on forecasting logic. Indeed, needs are anticipated well in advance because winter is a structurally critical period.
RTE contracts with actors who are committed to either injecting electricity or reducing their consumption (erasure) during these critical periods.
Some players can benefit from additional remuneration via the AOFD (Call for Proposals for Decarbonized Flexibility), by providing low-carbon flexibility. The operation is similar to that of the capacity mechanism, but the activations relate to days marked “EE” (Clear Energy). A “PP” day (Probable Point) is always an EE day, but the opposite is not automatic.
The adjustment mechanism, on the other hand, is a real-time management tool used by RTE to maintain the balance between electricity supply and demand. Unlike the capacity mechanism, it is not anticipated long in advance: it allows RTE to activate flexible resources on a one-day or sub-day basis, as required.
When Orus Energy decides to erase the next day, it sends a notification via the NEBEF (Erasure Block Exchange Notification). This makes it possible to resell unused electricity on the market. A fixed portion of the valuation is then paid to the electricity supplier concerned, to compensate for the loss of income associated with the erasure.
What differences?
As an actor who participates in the capacity mechanism with the AOFD, Orus receives a flat rate depending on the controlled power and its availability during EE/PP days. It is the capacity part.
As an actor that participates in the NEBEF mechanism and the adjustment mechanism, Orus makes a profit when the actual erasures are resold. It's the energy part.
Mechanisms in full mutation
Two main transformations of the mechanisms are to come:
- In September 2025, NEBEF became NEBCO and also allows the purchase of electricity.
- In 2026, the reform of the capacity mechanism allows the introduction of a secondary market and multi-year contracts.
These two transformations are representative of the constant evolution of energy markets and the adaptation of these mechanisms to the new challenges of electrical flexibility.
