OPC/STA Overview

Introduction to OPC & STA

The key services Outage Planning Coordination (OPC) and Short-Term Adequacy (STA) are integral services developed to enhance the operational security of Europe’s electricity grid. These processes enable collaboration between Transmission System Operators (TSOs) and Regional Coordination Centers (RCC) to maintain grid stability and optimize resource usage. Launched in 2020 as part of the European Commission's initiatives, OPC and STA applications reflect a commitment to coordinated planning and operational excellence across Europe.

OPC Process

What is OPC?

The Service OPC aims to coordinate the unavailability of relevant electrical grid assets of the European TSOs and to determine if the planned unavailability is feasible in terms of grid security for the observed time-frame(s). In case of detected security violations, corresponding Remedial Actions (RAs) are proposed to mitigate the violations, in the worst case, cancelling the planned unavailability.

The Service OPC is decomposed of the following 3 processes.

1. Pan-EU OPC – Pan-EU merging and coordination of all unavailability plans of participating TSOs for the time-frames Year-Ahead, Month-Ahead and Week-Ahead.
2. Regional OPC - Outage Planning Incompatibility (OPI) Assessment – Regional (each RCC) security assessment performed on the merged unavailability plan for the time-frames Year-Ahead and Week-Ahead, including sharing of analysis, proposals and the issuing of recommendations (Application of non- and costly remedial action to achieve grid security).
3. Regional Weekly Operational Planning Teleconference (WOPT) – Regional (each RCC) process to summarize week-ahead process results and discuss and resolve remaining issues on operational planning between TSOs & RCCs.

Pan-European OPC?

The pan-European OPC process is designed to ensure the coordinated planning of grid outages, following the standards outlined in the applicable regulatory framework. It utilizes the pan-European OPC application to facilitate the synchronization of data across Transmission System Operators (TSOs) and Regional Coordination Centers (RCCs).

Key objectives include:

1. Coordination of outages for elements classified as Relevant Assets for OPC in accordance with the methodology for assessing the relevance of assets for outage coordination (RAOCM)
2. Exchange between participating TSOs & RCCs about outage requests, confirmations and rejections via confirmation files capable with direct links to local operational planning applications used at TSO site in accordance with System Operation Guideline (SOGL)
3. Support the coordination process by RCCs as well as the necessary monitoring & reporting of process performance, effectiveness & efficiency and potential shortcomings in accordance with SOGL Art.17, IME Art.46 & CSAm Art.42/43 requirements
4. Data Validation & consistency, ensuring a high-quality, standardized and consistent data on planned outages, corresponding to the criteria's specified in the Data Quality Management Provisions in accordance with CSAm Art.42
5. This process is integral to maintaining the stability and security of Europe's power transmission system, with regional RCCs playing a crucial role in its execution.

Key Features of OPC

The OPC process incorporates several advanced features to ensure the secure and efficient management of grid outages across Europe. These key features include:

1. Coordination Across Regions: Enables TSOs and RCCs to collaborate on outage planning at both pan-European and regional levels.
2. Automated & Manual Features: Combining operational expertise with automated tools for efficient data processing.
3. Direct Connection & Continuous Monitoring: Instant update of local changes to the centralized database which is continuously reviewed to harmonize data & preventively tackle potential operational risks arising from outages.
4. Security-Driven Planning: Application of industry standard security plans & business continuity procedures to mitigate risks, ensuring compliance with security & confidentiality requirements.

OPC Workflow

The pan-European OPC process follows a systematic sequence to ensure effective planning and coordination of outages among TSOs and RCCs. Below is a concise overview of the key steps:

1. Definition of Regions and Assets:
   • TSOs determine participation in specific Outage Coordination Regions (OCR) and identify relevant assets requiring coordinated planning.
   • RCCs facilitate the process by maintaining asset lists and providing recommendations for outage planning.
2. Development of Availability Plans:
   • TSOs, as Outage Planning Agents (OPAs), create initial availability plans for their assets, considering grid requirements and interdependencies.
   • RCCs assess these plans to detect Outage Planning Incompatibilities (OPIs), propose recommendations to ensure compatibility of scheduled outages and coordinate adjustments on regional and cross-regional level to resolve conflicts as part of the OPI Assessment processes.
   • Finalized availability plans are concluded until December each year.
3. Continuous Updates of Availability Plans:
   • TSOs based on continuous operational planning or unforeseen incidents updated the Final Availability Plans through the year.
   • RCCs assess amendments to the Availability Plans within their regional applications, determine if the updated outage planning is feasible in terms of grid security and recommend mitigative actions in case violations are detected.
   • Adjusted plans are validated and integrated into a consolidated outage schedule.
4. Execution of Availability Plans:
   • The validated plans are implemented, with continuous monitoring to ensure compliance and grid stability.
   • If unexpected issues arise (e.g., forced outages), TSOs and RCCs adjust the plans dynamically to maintain operational security.

Pan-European vs. Regional OPC

Regional Specificities

1. Baltic RCC: Conducts WA processes, currently based on a Regional Grid Model.
2. Coreso: Performs an expert knowledge-based OPI assessment for YA and WA time-frames for 3 regions.
3. Nordic RCC: Focuses on manual assessments and expert knowledge for WA and YA time-frames.
4. SCC: Balances manual and automated methods for effective OPI detection in WA and YA processes.
5. SEleNe CC: Combines automated tools and expert review for outage planning across both WA and YA timeframes.
6. TSCNET: Uses automated optimization model, MIQCP (Mixed Integer Quadratically Constrained Program) for accurate results in the YA and WA time-frame.

Achievements and Results

1. Enhanced Coordination: OPC applications have significantly improved the coordination and security of outage planning across TSOs and RCCs.
2. Low Failure Rates: Minimal process failures, with defined backup procedures and backups available ensuring high availability & reliability.
3. Faster Merge Processes: Improved tool efficiency has reduced the average duration of data processing & merges.

By maintaining a coordinated approach to outage planning, the Service OPC strengthens the reliability of Europe's power transmission network, paving the way for secure, efficient energy distribution.

OPC Implementation guide can be found under the corresponding sub-page on this site -> https://www.entsoe.eu/publications/electronic-data-interchange-edi-library/

STA Process

What is STA?

Short-Term Adequacy (STA) focuses on identifying situations where a lack of adequacy is anticipated in control areas or at a regional level. Adequacy refers to the ability to meet electricity demand with available generation resources while accounting for cross-border exchanges. If a lack of adequacy is detected, the regional STA process is initiated to provide actionable recommendations to address the issue.

Key Features of STA

The STA process is crucial for ensuring the reliability and security of Europe’s electricity grid by identifying potential shortfalls in supply. It operates at both the pan-European level, assessing the entire grid, and regionally, focusing on specific areas of risk. Through coordinated assessments and flexible responses, the STA process swiftly detects and mitigates adequacy issues, helping to maintain grid stability. The following key features outline its operational framework:

• Pan-European Coverage: Enables coordinated daily assessments across Europe, identifying potential shortfalls for the upcoming seven days.
• Regional Response: If inadequacy is detected, targeted regional processes are conducted to ensure grid stability.
• Dynamic Adaptation: The scope of regional assessments adjusts dynamically based on the specific TSOs and neighboring systems affected.
• Automated Rotational Model: RCCs manage the pan-European STA process on a two-week rotational basis, ensuring continuity through a designated Main RCC and Backup RCC.
• Flexible Triggering: While regular regional STA processes follow identified timestamps, TSOs can request assessments independently as needed.

STA Workflow

The STA process follows a structured workflow to ensure that any potential inadequacies in the electricity grid are promptly identified and addressed. This process is essential for maintaining grid stability, particularly in the short term, and is carried out on both the pan-European and regional levels. Here is an overview of the key steps involved:

1. Daily Assessment:
   • Pan-European STA is run daily, focusing on the upcoming seven days to ensure proactive grid management.
   • RCCs perform the necessary adequacy computations, identifying any potential supply and demand mismatches.
   • Results are continuously monitored for accuracy and updated regularly.
   • RCCs ensure effective communication with TSOs, IT providers, and other stakeholders, ensuring smooth data flow and processing.
2. Identification of Inadequacy:
   • Following the pan-European assessment, RCCs analyze the results for any forecasted inadequacies in power supply or demand.
   • Inadequacies are flagged at the pan-European level, indicating whether specific countries, regions, or control areas may experience shortfalls.
   • The flagged areas are prioritized based on the severity and likelihood of the inadequacy.
3. Triggering Regional STA:
   • Regional STA processes are automatically initiated for the most critical time-frames, typically within three days, to quickly address potential issues.
   • The automated system ensures rapid response for time-sensitive issues identified at the pan-European level.
   • TSOs also have the flexibility to independently trigger regional STA processes if they detect inadequacies in their areas or anticipate grid instability.
4. Mitigation and Coordination:
   • Once a regional STA process is triggered, the RCC takes responsibility for coordinating the adequacy assessment at the regional level.
   • RCCs collaborate with TSOs to analyze the situation and propose mitigation actions such as redispatching generation or adjusting interconnections.
   • The goal is to align resources and ensure supply meets demand, stabilizing the grid and preventing reliability risks.
   • RCCs facilitate the coordination of actions between affected TSOs and regional entities, ensuring that all necessary steps are taken to resolve potential shortfalls.

STA Implementation guide can be found under the corresponding sub-page on this site -> https://www.entsoe.eu/publications/electronic-data-interchange-edi-library/

OPCSTA IT Tool

Achievements and Milestones

Outage Planning Coordination (OPC) and Short-Term Adequacy (STA) are mandatory services provided by Regional Coordination Centers (RCCs) and Transmission System Operators (TSOs) for electricity under the European Commission Regulation establishing a guideline on electricity transmission system operation (System Operations Guidelines – SOGL). They are aimed at increasing the operational security of Europe’s power system.

The OPC pan-European IT Tool, live since end of March 2020, allows the RCCs and TSOs to coordinate outage planning on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis. Based on generation and demand forecast provided by all ENTSO-E Member TSOs, the STA pan-European IT tool, launched in May 2020, enables RCCs and TSOs to perform daily calculations identifying possible lack of adequacy for the week ahead.

The industrialized pan-European tools are based on prototypes developed by RCCs, which were further developed through subsequent releases since 2020. The tools leverage the ENTSO-E Communication and Connectivity Service Platform (ECCoSP); a dedicated platform for secure file exchange that could be used for other RCC services data exchanges in the future.

The delivery and development of these pan-European IT tools is requiring continuous engagement and work across the whole TSO community: from TSOs, RCCs and ENTSO-E.