FAQ Balance groups

Please send inquiries about the completion of a balancing group contract to the “Team Balancing Group” mailbox: bilanzkreise(at)tennet.eu. 
You will receive an answer by email with all the necessary information on contract completion from one of our customer representatives. This email will contain the standard balancing group contract with the associated contract documents for you to fill out with data and send back to the customer representative by email. Which documents are needed by TenneT for the completion of a balancing group contract will also be listed.

As soon as all documents and information have been completely submitted, the customer representative will prepare a balancing group contract for your company and send the contract to you by post for signing.

The Energy Identification Code (EIC) is requested from and given by the BDEW - Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft [German Federal Association for Energy and Water Management]. The requested balancing group is published by the BDEW once it is allocated. The allocation and publication takes about 2 business days.

For more information, as well as the electronic entry form to apply for a balancing group, click here.

You can find information about the EEG and different sample forms for downloading on our website, please click here

You can find additional information in Appendix 3 of the balancing group contract and at the following link:
Balancing energy prices

• Conclude a balancing group contract: contact TenneT at least 8 weeks before you plan to start supplying customers from the balancing group
• Sub-balancing group allocation: notice 10 business days prior to the first of the month. Allocation is only possible on a month by month basis
• Inclusion of new balancing groups in the contract: contact at least 10 business days prior to the start date of the new balancing group (typically on the first of the month)

Once your new balancing group has been published with the BDEW, please send a fax or write your customer representative with the following data:

• EIC of your new balancing group

• Date beginning on which the balancing group is to be created with TenneT

• Information as to whether this should be managed as an invoice balancing group or as a subbalancing group (For details on this topic, see the question "How do I request a subbalancing group allocation and supply chain allocation?")

Your customer representative will confirm the establishment of the new balancing group in writing for you and have the updated Appendix 1 and, if applicable, Appendix 5 to the balancing group contract sent to you.

Please contact your customer representative. He will send you a corresponding form to fill out and inform the appropriate exchange after submission of the completed form.

The deadlines of the market rules for balancing group billing for electricity (MaBiS) published by the German Federal Network Agency apply exclusively to the processing of balancing group billing:

TenneT calculates the balance deviations of all balancing groups beginning on the 30th business day after the delivery month based on the available, billing-relevant data available by the end of the 29th day after the delivery month. The calculated balancing group deviations are multiplied by the balancing energy price for each ¼ hour, and the balancing group manager is billed accordingly each month.

TenneT issues invoices for balancing energy each month within the framework of the balancing group billing process no later than on the 42nd business day after the end of the delivery month. At the end of the 8th month after the delivery month, TenneT creates and sends a corrected balancing group invoice based on the billing-relevant data available after the end of the 7th month.

You will receive the billing data in accordance with the MaBiS deadlines in MSCONS format in an EDIFACT mailbox which you will name on completion of the balancing group contract.

In order to manage and operate a balancing group within a control area, a balancing group contract must be completed with the respective transmission system operator (TSO). Therefore, if you would like to operate a balancing group within the control area of TenneT TSO GmbH, a balancing group contract must first be completed between you and TenneT TSO GmbH.

Please contact your customer representative and designate the time of the set up as well as the main and sub-balancing group, with indication of the EIC. If the sub-balancing group allocation concerns a balancing group of only one balancing group manager, it is not necessary to update Appendix 5. If the new sub-balancing group allocation affects a balancing group of at least two balancing group managers, then Appendix 5 must be updated and signed by all participants. Your customer representative will take over the preparation and updating of Appendix 5 and send the completed Appendix 5 by post.

You can find general information regarding EDIFACT on the following website:
http://www.edi-energy.de/

TenneT publishes the balancing energy prices no later than on the 20th business day after the delivery month at the following link: Balancing energy prices 

Balancing energy prices are also sent in PRICAT format to the EDIFACT mailbox you name on completion of the balancing group contract.