Source - Effekthandel Väst Onboarding Info (2025-26)
Effekthandel Väst Onboarding Information 2025–2026 Operational guide for new Flexibility Service Providers (FSPs) joining the Effekthandel Väst local flexibility market. Published by Göteborg Energi Elnät AB and Mölndal Energi Elnät AB for the 2025–2026 season. Six pages; no specific publication date, but formatted for the 2025–2026 season (V2025/26).
Source metadata
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Göteborg Energi Elnät AB + Mölndal Energi Elnät AB |
| Type | Operational onboarding guide |
| Market platform | NODES |
| Date | 2025–2026 season |
| Language | Swedish |
| File | 2025-2026-Onboarding-info-Effekthandel-Vast.md |
Document overview
A practical onboarding document for FSPs entering Effekthandel Väst, the local flexibility market serving the Gothenburg and Mölndal areas. It describes how the market works, what products are available, what technical requirements apply, and how FSPs get paid. Target audience: resource owners and aggregators planning to participate for the first time.
Market structure
Effekthandel Väst is a joint local flexibility market operated by two DSOs:
- Göteborg Energi Elnät AB — DSO for Gothenburg municipality (GENAB)
- Mölndal Energi Elnät AB — DSO for Mölndal municipality (MENAB)
Each DSO has its own sub-areas within the shared market. Resources are registered to specific market areas (sub-areas within GENAB or MENAB); bids and activations apply only within the relevant sub-area. The market operates on the NODES platform.
Products
ShortFlex
The energy-activation product: a continuous hourly market (1-hour contracts) where buyer (DSO) and seller (FSP) place bids that are matched continuously. The FSP decides per hour whether to submit a sell bid when the DSO posts a buy order — there is no obligation to bid and no availability/capacity component. Payment is on delivery only. Equivalent to the LFM-e energy-activation product class (≈ SWITCH DO), and to sthlmflex’s “fria bud” — not an availability product. (Source - Energiföretagen Förteckning Standardiserade Marknadsprodukter (2025), Source - Effekthandel Väst Produkter och MaxUsage (NODES, 2024))
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Minimum bid | 0.05 MW (50 kW) |
| Contract length | One hour |
| Market opens | 6 days before delivery date |
| Gate closure | H-2 (two hours before delivery hour) |
| Lead time for first ShortFlex order | 6 days notice required for first order |
| Payment | Activation only — per MWh delivered; scaled down and withheld below 75% delivery |
| Direction | Upward regulation (load reduction / generation increase) |
| Validation threshold | 75% of ordered volume must be delivered |
The 6-day lead time for the first ShortFlex order is a process requirement (FSP profile setup, technical verification) — subsequent orders within the same season do not require this lead time.
LongFlex
A seasonal availability product with longer reservation windows. Equivalent to the LFM-p product class.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Minimum bid | 0.05 MW |
| Reservation horizon | Multi-week to seasonal |
| Payment structure | Availability fee + activation fee |
| Direction | Upward regulation |
LongFlex bids compete on availability price (willingness to accept a capacity reservation fee) — the provider with the lowest availability asking price wins the reservation. This contrasts with SWITCH seasonal availability (which ranks bids by activation price, not availability price).
Max Usage (Maxanvändning)
A consumption cap product where the FSP commits to not exceed a specified maximum consumption level during defined peak hours. Unlike ShortFlex and LongFlex, Max Usage does not require a baseline calculation — compliance is measured directly against the committed maximum.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Delivery metric | Measured consumption ≤ committed maximum |
| Baseline | None required |
| Peak hours | Pre-specified by DSO (typically winter mornings) |
Limitation noted in Sweco (2025): Max Usage works cleanly in season 1 but creates ambiguity from season 2 onward if the resource has already shifted behavior or invested in efficiency — the “ceiling” no longer represents a genuine flexibility offer. At least one DSO has discontinued the product for this reason. (Source - Sweco Kartläggning av lokala flexibilitetsmarknader (Ei, 2025))
Metering and baseline requirements
FSPs must have measurement capability at the resource level. Two baseline options are described:
- Standard 5-day rolling average (NODES default): consumption during the delivery hour is compared to the average of the same hour across the five preceding working days
- FSP-provided baseline: FSPs can propose an alternative baseline methodology, subject to DSO/NODES approval
Baseline calculation is performed by NODES. Delivery validation compares metered actual delivery against the baseline-adjusted expected value. The validation threshold of 75% (ShortFlex) means that a resource delivering at least 75% of the ordered volume in the delivery hour is considered to have fulfilled its obligation.
Smart meters (smart meters or equivalent measurement) are required. For resources registered under a third-party aggregator, the aggregator must have a data-sharing arrangement with the DSO for metering data access.
Compensation structure
Payment depends on the product:
- Availability fee (tillgänglighetsavgift) — paid per MW reserved per hour for being available to deliver — LongFlex only
- Activation fee (aktiveringsavgift) — paid per MWh actually delivered when activated — applies to both ShortFlex (its only payment) and LongFlex
So ShortFlex is single-part (activation only) and LongFlex is two-part (availability + activation). Max Usage has a single payment per hour the cap is maintained.
Settlement is handled through NODES and paid out monthly (approximately 25 working days after month-end for activation payments; end of season for LongFlex availability).
Technical requirements
- Ability to receive activation signals and begin delivery within the required notice period
- Smart metering at 15-minute resolution (or finer)
- NODES portal access for bid submission and reporting
- Registration of each resource in the NODES system (unique resource IDs per market area)
- For remote-controlled resources: verified control pathway demonstrated during prequalification
No specific communication protocol is mandated — NODES handles signal delivery through its platform. FSPs using building management systems, battery management systems, or EV charging management can integrate via the NODES API.
Prequalification
New FSPs must undergo a prequalification process before their first ShortFlex order:
- Register resources in NODES (name, location, market area, type, maximum capacity)
- Sign framework agreement with GENAB/MENAB
- Complete a technical check (control pathway, metering verification)
- Observe a 6-day lead time before the first activation can be scheduled
Resources already registered with the NODES platform from another market (e.g., a previous JämtFlex or sthlmflex registration) may have simplified re-onboarding depending on platform version compatibility.
Key data points
- Minimum bid: 0.05 MW (lower than SWITCH’s 0.1 MWh/h minimum; makes smaller resources viable)
- Validation threshold: 75% (consistent with SWITCH’s standard threshold)
- Gate closure: H-2 for ShortFlex (= LFM-e Auction 2 in the Ei standard)
- No production-side market described in this document — Effekthandel Väst is a demand-side / storage market; E.ON’s Halland is the first Swedish production-side market
Relevance to wiki topics
- Effekthandel Väst — primary operational specification for the market; resolves the “no public data” data gap
- NODES — platform details; product names ShortFlex/LongFlex/Max Usage confirmed for Effekthandel Väst
- Flexibility Market — Effekthandel Väst market design details; minimum bid comparison
- Aggregation — third-party aggregators can participate; metering data sharing requirement
- Source - Energiföretagen Förteckning Standardiserade Marknadsprodukter (2025) — ShortFlex ≈ LFM-e (energy activation, ≈ SWITCH DO); LongFlex ≈ LFM-p (period availability, ≈ SWITCH ST); product naming differences between markets