Project Goal – Lower Costs, Greater Stability
In 2017, Unicorn Systems was selected alongside Optimeering as a supplier for the common Nordic Market Management System with aFRR (automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve) services. It was later decided to extend the scope to mFRR (manual Frequency Restoration Reserve) services. The project is named NMMS – Nordic Market Management System.
The purpose of creating a common Nordic market for aFRR and mFRR (manual frequency restoration) services is to increase socio-economic benefits at a regional level. This is achieved by enabling market participants to purchase aFRR and mFRR services across the entire Nordic synchronous area while respecting transmission system constraints.
The Nordic MMS project brings the following benefits to Nordic countries:
- A capacity market is an essential tool for four TSOs (Statnett, Svenska kraftnät, Fingrid, Energinet) to secure a sufficient amount of balancing reserves.
- The purchase of a larger share of reserves at a lower price reduces the costs for transmission system operators.
- Improved frequency stability in the network.
- The efficient functioning of the market for aFRR/mFRR services allows transmission system operators in the region to have access to a sufficiently wide range of balancing services.
- Creating an overall framework for a shared market for aFRR/mFRR services for other countries in the future.
Nordic TSOs Unite to Shape the Future of Energy Balancing
Fifty AS is a joint venture of Svenska kraftnät and Statnett, tasked with developing new market management systems and support systems for balancing the Nordic power system.
Statnett and Svenska Kraftnät have cooperated on the development of a joint balancing and market system since 2015. There is a close cooperation with Fingrid and Energinet.
More information:
- Nordic aFRR capacity market – nordicbalancingmodel
- Nordic mFRR capacity market – nordicbalancingmodel
Damas MMS:E Powers Efficient Operations in Modern Energy Markets
Damas MMS:E is a comprehensive energy market management information system primarily designed and developed for the needs of transmission system operators, HVDC interconnectors, and market operators operating in an open energy market environment.
Damas MMS:E fully supports the market-related processes of transmission system operators and market operators in the following areas:
- System Services – Maintain the system balance using ancillary services efficiently and with minimum costs.
- Transmission Services – Gain income from congestion management and manage cross-border flows.
- Settlement Services – Evaluate and settle energy market transactions, and make and receive payments.
NMMS Delivery – Fast, Flexible, and Fully Configurable
Each Damas MMS delivery consists of three main activities: configuration, customisation, and integration into surrounding systems.
Configuration and Customisation
One of the standout features of Damas MMS is its high configurability. Most system functions can be configured by analysts, shortening the information-sharing cycle and simplifying the overall delivery process. This flexibility allows us to quickly adapt to a sprint-based delivery for the customer, making it easy to prototype and demonstrate solutions, thereby facilitating feedback and iterative improvements.
Seamless Integrations Powering a Fully Connected Nordic Market
Nordic MMS is integrated with numerous surrounding systems and solutions. This is achieved mainly through the ECP/EDX network, a standardised energy data exchange platform also developed by Unicorn Systems.
The Damas MMS platform supports a wide range of data formats, mainly based on ENTSO-E EDI IEC/CIM standards, ensuring seamless integration.
Basic supported business processes:
• Master data management
• System configuration
• Administration of regulatory capacity requirements from four TSOs
• Administration of cross-zonal capacities (CZCs) and their valuation (inputs from RSC and NEMO)
• Receive balancing capacity bids from BSPs
• Clearing (calling an external service provided by Optimeering)
• Post-clearing operations and results distribution
• Settlement
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Basic reporting
• Comprehensive backup solution on the MS SharePoint platform
Product support:
• aFRR – automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve
• mFRR – manual Frequency Restoration Reserve
• FCR – Frequency Containment Reserve
Data interfaces:
• 4x TSOs: receiving requirements, providing results
• BSP: receiving bids, providing results
• RSC: receiving available CZCs, providing used CZCs
• NEMO: receiving spot market prices
• ENTSO-E transparency platform + Nordic transparency platform: providing results
The high-end Market Management System Damas Energy offers the customer not only all the required functionality but also the flexibility and extendibility needed for the Nordic energy market.
Nordic MMS Project Results
The project was successfully launched and already achieved several go-lives with various settings for different markets. The project meets the customer’s needs and provides a lot of benefits to the Nordic region, including cost reductions for the Transmission System Operators.
A common aFRR CM corresponds to an economic surplus of 11.2 mil EUR from December 8th, 2022, to March 24t, 2023, meaning the average daily surplus only for the smaller aFRR Capacity Market is around 100,000 EUR.
