Hearing on task 1.7 “Planning the work beyond 2014”

Welcome to our hearing on the 25^th of June on NordREG’s future work at Radisson Skycity Arlanda, Stockholm between 10:00-15:00 o’clock. Please find an agenda for the event below. For those of you who cannot travel to Stockholm to participate at the hearing, we encourage you to participate via the web. You can use the link below and you find instructions, in Swedish, that will help you log on. We suggest that you test the link prior to the hearing.

https://meet.lync.com/energimarknadsinspektionen/marielle.liikanen/MGCC2GNF

Follow the instructions to participate online

	Agenda items	Speaker
09.30-10.00	Breakfast
10:00-10:15	Introduction	Marielle Liikanen, chair of Retail Market WG NordREG
10:15-11:00	Presentation – Future challenges and development of the electricity market	Professor Lennart Söder, KTH
11:00-11:30	First round of discussion	All
*11:30-12:30*	Lunch
12:30-13:45	Group work	All
13:45-14:00	Presentation of group work
14:00 -14:50	Second round of discussion	All
14:50-15:00	Sum up	Marielle Liikanen

Introduction and background

The Nordic Energy Regulators (NordREG) have for several years been promoting the development of a harmonised Nordic electricity market and is supported by the Nordic minsters for energy. The main goal is to create common Nordic solutions for the retail market that eliminate the biggest entry barriers for a supplier entering the Nordic market.

The task “Planning the work beyond 2014” is part of NordREG’s work program for 2014. NordREG intends to make a work program that is forward looking and stretches over a period of the next four years and input from industry and other interested parties will be crucial for planning these future activities.

Structure of the day

The hearing is a public and open forum for any stakeholders to give input to NordREG’s plans for the future.

Marielle Liikanen, chair RMWG[1], will give a short introduction describing the thoughts that NordREG has for the future presented in thematic areas. The day continues with an inspirational speech from Professor Lennart Söder, KTH[2], to give the participants new insights and ideas.

After the presentation the participants continue with discussions and work groups. The participants will be divided into four or five groups. The task will be to discuss the thematic areas, objectives and questions listed below. Each group will take notes and present their views.

The hearing will be streamed on internet so it will be possible for participants that are not able to participate at Arlanda to take part of the hearing. Also all can give written input until 30^th of June. NordREG may publish any written input together with for example the final report.

Basis for previous work

The objectives for the harmonisation work during the period 2011 to 2014 were:

Customer friendliness
Well-functioning common market
Improved competition
Improved efficiency
Compliance with EU regulation and development
Neutrality of DSOs

These objectives for the period 2011 to 2014 have been the guidelines for the project. Each task made during the period 2011 to 2014 has aimed to be in line with these objectives. NordREG believes that these may still be suitable for future work but are keen on input from you to learn what your thoughts are.

Thematic areas for discussion:

Below tentative thematic areas with sub areas that could be the focus for NordREG’s work, in the context of retail market issues, for the next four years:

1) Information exchange

a) TSO role and responsibility

b) access between hubs/information-exchange systems

c) NBS

2) Market rules energy services

a) Unbundling

b) DSO role and responsibility

3) Smart grids:

a) Market rules micro-production

b) Market rules for demand response

Guideline for input on NordREGs work plan for the coming four years

The following questions are meant as guideline for group work and written input:

What objectives would you like to change, add or remove?
What thematic areas would you like to change, add or remove?
What concrete tasks would be investigated and harmonised for each thematic area and sub areas?
Other?

Contact

For further contact:

Marielle Liikanen

marielle.liikanen@ei.se

+46 16 16 27 46

[1] Retail Market Working Group

[2] Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm

Hearing on NordREG’s future – Planning the work beyond 2014

Input from the industry and other interested parties will be crucial for planning the future activities.

The working group would like to invite you to discuss and present your views on what should be the focus of the work ahead.

The working group will present an overview over tentative thematic areas that could be the focus of the work ahead. Also our thoughts on how to continue the technical harmonization work will be explained at the hearing. In due time before the hearing, the participants will receive a document describing the WG’s initial thoughts.

The hearing will take place at Arlanda airport on June 25, 2014 from 10.00-15.00.

Please let us know if you intend to participate by emailing no later than June 18 to marita.grimberg@ei.se.

If you have any questions, please contact Marielle Liikanen, Chair Retail Markets WG, marielle.liikanen@ei.se or via telephone on +46(0)16-162746

From the work program for 2014:

Task 1.7 Planning the work beyond 2014

Since the harmonisation of the Nordic end-user markets will continue after 2014, there is a need to plan and map future tasks.

NordREG has already received some input from the industry on possible future tasks. We recognise that the implementation phase, which is now entered, will bring out additional issues that need to be investigated. We will therefore during 2014 start to plan the next steps in the harmonisation process.

This task will identify the most crucial issues to be harmonised after 2014. It will list and describe the topics on a high-level and suggest when and how the harmonisation of each task should take place. This information will be used as input when making more detailed planning for the future work and reviewing what project structure that is suitable for the continued project.

NordREG’s Work Program 2014

At the NordREG Board Meeting, on February 26, the NordREG Work Program for 2014 was decided.

In recent years NordREG has focused on laying down recommendations so that a common Nordic retail market could be achieved. During 2014 NordREG will continue the work on the main elements of the future common market and it is NordREG’s view that the analysis and recommendations provided earlier in the project are feasible and provide us with guidance for national implementation.

In addition to the work on a common retail market, NordREG will continue the work on developing and improving the functioning of the wholesale market. This work is to a great extent influenced by European developments and the move towards an integrated European market. The sharing of experiences within NordREG and with Nordic stakeholders concerning for example network codes will therefore continue and intensify during 2014.

As in previous years a Nordic Market report will also be published in 2014. During the year, a long-term business plan will be worked out, the plan would extend over several years.

NordREG Work Program 2014

For more information please contact:
Marielle Liikanen, Chair of the NordREG Retail Market Working Group, +46 16 16 27 46

NordREG recommendations for customers and market actors access to metering data and transparency

The Nordic electricity market is heading towards a harmonised retail market where the most critical barriers for suppliers to establishing business in another Nordic country should be eliminated.

At the same time the roll out of smart metering systems means that there will be new opportunities to handle and collect detailed information of customer’s electricity consumption. Historical and current consumption on-demand could easily be distributed between market actors such as suppliers, distribution system operators (DSOs), data hubs and energy service companies (ESCOs) for example.

But it is important to remember that the collection of metering data from an individual’s home could be seen as a violation of that person’s privacy. The data that can be collected through smart metering systems is considered to be personal data according to Working Party 29 . Therefore it is important to be very cautious about the handling of these meter values.’

NordREG recommendations on transparency

For more information please contact:
Daniel Norstedt, Chair of the NordREG Retail Market Working Group, +46 16 16 27 31

Regulation of universal service to be decided nationally

The Nordic energy regulators (NordREG) is of the opinion that the regulation of universal service provisions are of national concern and NordREG will therefore not issue any recommendations on a single harmonised Nordic model for universal service at this stage. However, energy regulators should nationally regard the effects on the harmonised Nordic end user market when developing the universal service obligations. Further, NordREG finds it important to issue recommendations on customer activity and neutrality by distribution system operators (DSOs), which is of great importance for the competition in the market.

The cornerstone for achieving a common Nordic end-user market is the supplier centric model. It implies that the customer should contact the supplier in a majority of cases on the electricity market. All Nordic countries have systems – with different features – where there is a default supplier for those customers who choose not to make an active choice in the retail market. This study recognises the risk of not needing to be active on the retail market as one of the key issues.

NordREG recognises that in order to create an effective and well-functioning retail market it is important to encourage customers to make active choices. Even if NordREG doesn’t find it necessary to harmonise universal service obligations within the Nordic countries at this stage, all Nordic countries should try to remove from their universal obligations such existing features which unnecessarily support customers’ passivity.

NordREG Universal Service report

For more information, please contact
Daniel Norstedt, Chair of the NordREG Retail Market Working Group
phone +46 16 16 27 31

Invitation to NordREG hearing

The Business process task force would like to invite you to attend the hearing on the 26th of February, in Oslo airport. The switching report will be presented. This report describes the future harmonised switching process from a regulatory perspective. Some of the subjects covered in the report are timeframes, responsibilities and content of messages.

You are welcome to give written comments until 28th February.

Switching_report

Registration

We need to know how many will participate in order to confirm our reservation so please reply no later than 20th February. Please also specify if you will stay for lunch or not.

e-mail:Peder.Soderlund@nordicenergy.org

Practical information

Place: Oslo airport, Park Inn (approx. 100m from the airport) Link to hotel

Date: 26 February

Time: 10:00-13:30 CET

Lunch: 12:30-13:30