Rome, December 18th, 2020 - The Enel Group has been awarded 59.2 MW of capacity contracts in the tender for Italian Transmission System Operator Terna's ultra-rapid frequency regulation service, also known as “Fast Reserve”. Specifically, the awards relate to Italy’s central-northern mainland (40 MW) and central-southern mainland (19.2 MW).
“With this award, Enel strengthens its leadership in the development of electrochemical storage systems in Italy by supplying new services which are necessary to guarantee grid stability,” said Carlo Tamburi, Head of Enel Italy. “The development and use of storage technologies favor the decarbonization process and the participation of renewables in the generation mix, helping to achieve the objectives set out in Italy’s Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan, alongside accelerating the energy transition.”
The awarded capacity will be supplied by the so-called Fast Reserve Units (FRUs) which include the possibility of combining an electrochemical storage system with electric vehicle charging infrastructures and Vehicle-to-Grid solutions. Starting in January 2023 and through December 2027, these units will provide ultra-fast response service in less than one second. The service must be available for 1,000 hours per year, in specific time slots defined by Terna.
The awarded FRUs are: Porto Tolle, 20 MW (in an area not included in the site’s current repurposing project), Alessandria, 20 MW, Torrevaldaliga Nord 2, 9.6 MW and Torrevaldaliga Nord 3, 9.6 MW.
The Fast Reserve will help improve the stability of grid frequency, in coordination with other existing services. Within the pilot projects promoted by Terna, this tender helped to facilitate the introduction of new technologies in the electricity system and, in particular, electrochemical storage units, which are key in supporting the energy transition as envisaged by Italy’s Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan.
In a highly competitive tender scenario, Enel confirms its leadership in Terna's pilot projects, having won the highest share of capacity assigned in this tender: around 24% of the total.