Electricity generation regimes
Ordinary regime
The generation of electricity in Portugal is carried out in two ways: ordinary and special regime
Allocation of Capacity Reserve
The allocation of capacity reserve for production with licensing, according to decree-law no. 15/2022 can be done through three modality.
- General Access Modality;
- Agreement Mode;
- Competitive Procedure Mode.
The request for the allocation of reserve capacity for injection into the RESP, in any of its modalities, depends on the prior provision of a deposit aimed at guaranteeing that the interested party obtains the prior control titles.
General Access Mode
In the general access modality, the request is submitted in DGEG's electronic platform.
The applicant submits the capacity reservation request to DGEG, indicating the intended injection capacity, the connection substation, voltage level and grid operator to which it intends to connect.
The decision on the capacity reservation request is communicated by the grid operator to the applicant and the licensing entity.
When the opinion is favourable, the Reserve Capacity Certificate for injection into the RESP is issued within 10 days, with which the request for connection to the RESP is subsequently initiated.
Agreement Mode
The agreement modality is applied in cases where there is no reception capacity at the RESP, but the promoter assumes the financial costs resulting from the construction/reinforcement of the grid, necessary for the reception of the energy produced.
The maximum available capacity to be allocated in this modality is defined by the Government by January 15 of each year, divided by:
- Production technology;
- RESP operator;
- Generation with total injection into the RESP and generation for self-consumption.
The promoter must submit the capacity allocation request until March 15th of each year to the DGEG, and may not apply for the injection points at the RESP integrated in the Competitive Procedure Mode.
With the submission of the application, a deposit must be provided to the DGEG.
The implementation of agreements between agreement requesters and the DSO are conditional on the existence or creation of reception capacity at the RNT substations which feed the RND in the areas covered by these agreement requests.
Modality of the Competitive Procedure
The Government determines that a Competitive Procedure must be carried out for the attribution of the Capacity Reserve Title, which is attributed by the operator of the RESP.
This modality is intended for the attribution of the Capacity Reserve Title for electricity production from renewable energy, and may cover one or more production technologies and include storage facilities.
The announcement of the opening of the procedure is published in the Diário da República (Official State Gazette) and the pieces of the procedure are published on the DGEG website and, in the case of an electronic auction, also on the electronic stakeholder registration platform.
Provision of Guarantees
In order to make the request for the Allocation of Reserve Injection Capacity at the RESP, it is necessary to previously provide a deposit, aimed at guaranteeing that the applicant obtains the prior control titles.
Prior Control Title is understood to mean:
- Production and exploration license;
- Prior registration and certificate of operation;
- Prior Notice.
The value of the deposit depends on the Mode in which the process takes place:
The security to be provided by the applicant may take the following forms:
- Bank guarantee;
- Surety bond;
- Bank deposit, in an account held by the licensing entity, destined exclusively for this purpose.
After the guarantee has been given, the Capacity Reserve Title is issued.
After obtaining the Reserve Capacity Certificate for injection into the Public Service Electricity Network (RESP), the applicant simultaneously promotes the procedure for the award of a Generation License and the process of connecting the generating plant, the storage facility or the UPRAC to the network, to be developed with the respective operator of the RESP.
The request for the Production License is made by the applicant to the DGEG, within a maximum period of one year after the issuing of the Reserve Capacity Title when an Environmental Impact Assessment procedure is to be carried out or, if this procedure is not carried out, within a maximum period of 6 months.
Process for connecting to the RESP
To start the process of connecting to the RESP, the applicant must be in possession of the Capacity Reservation Certificate, issued by the DSO, and follow the steps indicated below. The request is submitted to the producer manager indicated in the capacity allocation communication.
Documentação Relevante
- Decree-Law No. 15/2022: https://dre.pt/dre/detalhe/decreto-lei/15-2022-177634016
- Directive No. 10/2019: https://dre.pt/dre/detalhe/diretiva/10-2019-122145181