Requirements for specific products
Article 26
1. Following the approval of the implementation frameworks for the European platforms pursuant to Articles 19, 20 and 21, each TSO may develop a proposal for defining and using specific products for balancing energy and balancing capacity. This proposal shall include at least: (a) a definition of specific products and of the time period in which they will be used; (b) a demonstration that standard products are not sufficient to ensure operational security and to maintain the system balance efficiently or a demonstration that some balancing resources cannot participate in the balancing market through standard products; (c) a description of measures proposed to minimise the use of specific products subject to economic efficiency; (d) where applicable, the rules for converting the balancing energy bids from specific products into balancing energy bids from standard products; (e) where applicable, the information on the process for the conversion of balancing energy bids from specific products into balancing energy bids from standard products and the information on which common merit order list the conversion will take place; (f) a demonstration that the specific products do not create significant inefficiencies and distortions in the balancing market within and outside the scheduling area. 2. Each TSO using specific products shall review at least once every two years the necessity to use specific products in accordance with the criteria laid down in paragraph 1. 3. The specific products shall be implemented in parallel to the implementation of the standard products. Following the use of the specific products, the connecting TSO may alternatively: (a) convert the balancing energy bids from specific products into balancing energy bids from standard products; (b) activate the balancing energy bids from specific products locally without exchanging them. 4. The rules for converting balancing energy bids from specific products into balancing energy bids from standard products pursuant to paragraph 1(d) shall: (a) be fair, transparent and non-discriminatory; (b) not create barriers for the exchange of balancing services; (c) ensure the financial neutrality of TSOs.