Procedures and regulations

In the Netherlands there are several regional grid administrators, while one party manages the national high-voltage grid: TenneT. The duties and areas of authority of all grid administrators have been laid down in the 1998 Electricity Act, and various procedures and regulations have ensued from this Act. The Office of Energy Regulation (DTe) monitors the implementation of the Act, on behalf of the government, by checking the services and tariffs of the grid administrators.

Regulations

The joint grid administrators have submitted a proposal for the tariff structure and the technical conditions (regulations) to DTe. The regulations have been laid down in a number of codes: the Grid Code, the System Code and the Metering Code. The Tariff Code contains stipulations about the tariff structure.

Procedures

In our society, sufficient electricity must be available at all times. We can leave nothing to chance in this respect. Procedures and rules are designed to ensure that there are clear agreements between the parties involved. This way we can preclude any breakdowns in communication and contribute to safe, transparent market operation.

Examples of important procedures are those related to programme responsibility and EDINE. The system of programme responsibility created by TenneT affects nearly all producers and customers that operate in the market. EDINE is a set of specifications and agreements intended to achieve a uniform exchange of messages.

The procedures related to metering responsibility can be found in the Metering Code. Since the liberalisation of the energy market, connected parties have been free to deploy a metering company of their choice. All parties recognised by TenneT for the performance of metering activities are listed in the register of recognised parties with metering responsibility.

If an important application for grid administration is temporarily unavailable or if certain parties are not adhering to the agreements reached, one of the emergency procedures may come into effect.