"Use, don't curtail 2.0" determination issued
Year of issue 2024
Date of issue 2024.07.01
The Bundesnetzagentur has today set criteria that a switchable load must meet to participate in the "Use, don't curtail 2.0" measure.
"Today we defined the group of participants for "Use, don't curtail", which paves the way for using renewable electricity that would otherwise be curtailed. This instrument is important but not a substitute for the swiftest possible needs-based grid expansion,"
said Klaus Müller, President of the Bundesnetzagentur.
Taking part in the public consultation were 21 professional associations, interest groups and undertakings. Their comments have been published (in German) on the Bundesnetzagentur's website.
Aim of "Use, don't curtail 2.0"
Currently power stations that generate renewable electricity must sometimes be curtailed because the necessary power grids required to transport the electricity have not yet been adequately expanded. This affects, for example, wind turbines in congestion regions where turbines have to be halted even though the wind is blowing. By issuing this determination the Bundesnetzagentur is creating an incentive in so-called relief regions to use this electricity and thus make renewable electricity usable instead of curtailing it. This can only work if there is "additional" demand for electricity that has the effect of relieving congestion. The instrument is designed to reduce temporary network congestion and does not replace needs-based grid expansion.
Content of the determination
The "Use, don't curtail 2.0" determination has its basis in section 13k(3) sentence 3 of the Energy Industry Act (EnWG). The Bundesnetzagentur has determined three segments where it assumes under certain conditions that there is "additional" demand for electricity:
- the substitution of fossil heat generation with electrical heat generation
- the deployment of grid-connected storage plants
- the construction of new electrolysers and large-scale heat pumps.
Next steps
The transmission system operators (TSOs) TenneT, Amprion, 50Hertz and TransnetBW will next enter a two-year test phase beginning on 1 October 2024. During this phase the four TSOs will be using a simplified flat-rate allocation scheme. At the same time a competitive bidding procedure will be developed for application in subsequent years. As from 1 April 2025 distribution system operators (DSOs) may also apply the instrument.
The determination and additional explanations have been published in German at www.bundesnetzagentur.de/nsa