Introduction On 6 November 2006, the regulators of Republic of Ireland (CER), France (CRE), Great Britain (Ofgem) and Northern Ireland (Ofreg), where relevant in collaboration with the four TSOs in these areas EirGrid, Réseau de Transport d'Electricité (RTE), National Grid (NG), and System Operator Northern Ireland (SONI), published a package of 7 documents that deal with the four priority issues for the France-UK-Ireland electricity Regional Energy Market plus three additional complementary topics. The 7 Issues and Topics Following discussion in spring 2006 with TSOs, stakeholders and representatives of the Commission and Member State governments, the following issues were identified as priority issues to be pursued in order to enhance integration of the four national markets: In order to complement these issues, the four regulators have in addition explicitly considered the following topics: The Package of 7 Papers and Consultation Documents TSOs have written a paper for each of the four priority issues. Regulators have written papers concerning imbalance pricing, transmission tarification, and efficiency of interconnectors. A cover note accompanies each document in order where relevant to set out the background to the document and to invite comment. The TSO’s first paper Gap analysis of current compliance with the Congestion Management Guideline concerns an assessment of compliance of present practice on interconnectors with the CM Guidelines. Interested parties are welcome to provide views, either in writing or through the ongoing process for the France-UK-Ireland electricity REM project. The TSO’s second paper Options for further development and coordination of existing cross-border arrangements builds on the TSO’s first paper and puts forward options for dealing with areas where current congestion management practice in France, UK , or Ireland does not meet the requirements of the CM Guidelines. The four regulators put this paper to formal written consultation of stakeholders, and comments and views are invited. The TSO’s third paper Conceptual options for achieving reciprocal access to balancing arrangements across the region puts forward options for ways in which TSOs and market participants might trade in balancing market services across borders. The four regulators put this paper to formal written consultation of stakeholders, and comments and views are invited. The TSO’s fourth paper Situation report on wholesale market transparency makes an assessment of current levels of wholesale market transparency within the territories. It uses the ERGEG draft Guidelines for Good Practice on Information Management and Transparency as an input for this assessment. Interested parties are welcome to provide views, either in writing or through the ongoing process for the France-UK-Ireland electricity REM project. The regulators’ first paper Electricity imbalance pricing – comparison of regimes and effects across , GB, Republic of Ireland, and makes a first assessment of the imbalance rules applying in each territory with a view to understanding if significant differences exist that might tend to affect trading decisions were full reciprocal access to balancing markets to exist. In that sense this paper complements the TSO’s third paper. The four regulators put this paper to formal written consultation of stakeholders, and comments and views are invited. The regulators’ second paper National transmission tarification systems outlines the current national transmission tarification systems across the four territories together with a first assessment of the extent to which differences in approach might affect cross border trade. The four regulators put this paper to formal written consultation of stakeholders, and comments and views are invited. The regulators’ third paper Analysis of interconnector flows on the Interconnector Angleterre makes a first assessment of the extent to which the electricity interconnector between and is used efficiently, and puts forward some first hypotheses to explain the observed levels of efficiency. This paper therefore complements the first and second of the TSO’s papers. The four regulators put this paper to formal written consultation of stakeholders, and comments and views are invited.
Invitation to comment The consultation closed on 19 January 2007. Next Steps After 19 January 2007, the four regulators will consider responses and use these to aid the parallel work being undertaken on congestion management co-ordination and reciprocal access to balancing markets. In parallel, TSOs will use inputs received in undertaking the work necessary to achieve compliance with the CM Guidelines. Responses will also inform the further work needed to address the priority issues and to assess what further actions, in any, are needed regarding the three additional topics. The four regulators invite all interested stakeholders to participate in the subsequent work and required actions.
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