PVNED is a fully recognised, independent Balance Responsible Party (BRP) that has worked closely with TenneT for over twenty-five years. For Austrian parties, PVNED manages that open position on the Dutch market, with automatic access to our imbalance pool.
The open position: two different starting points
In the Netherlands, passive balancing is allowed and financially rewarded. TenneT encourages parties to deliberately create a deviation in their portfolio when this benefits the system balance and pays out the imbalance price for doing so. That price moves with the market, so the same position that earns on one day can just as easily cost on another, which is why forecasting the direction matters as much as holding the position itself.
APCS applies the opposite principle: a trading balance group’s imbalance has to actively help the system, or it triggers a warning and repeated cases can end in losing the contract altogether. Open positions are also collateralised, at three times the hourly EPEX day-ahead price, with a floor of 75 euros per MWh.
One point of contact instead of two
In Austria, the balancing role is divided between two parties: APG, as control area manager, monitors grid frequency, while APCS, as a separate balance group coordinator, calculates and settles imbalance. In the Netherlands, this runs through a single party: TenneT. Both countries have been part of the same Central West Europe day-ahead market coupling region since 2015, and both trade via EPEX SPOT.
Four ways PVNED covers your position
PVNED takes balance responsibility on the Dutch market off your hands:
- Market access – one party for the entire process: As a BRP registered with TenneT, PVNED arranges in one step what runs separately in Austria through APG and APCS. Connection, registration and all formal requirements with a single party.
- Open position – an advantage instead of a warning: Deliberately leaving a position open in Austria can trigger a warning from APCS. PVNED ensures that same open position is settled correctly in the Netherlands, including the advantages attached to it.
- Forecasting – from hydropower to wind and solar: The Austrian market leans heavily on hydropower, the Dutch imbalance market on wind and solar. Our forecasting is built for that different market dynamic, so you’re trading the direction of the price, not guessing at it.
- Settlement and reporting – clear monthly reporting: A clear monthly overview of what’s been traded and settled on the Dutch market, separate from your settlement via APCS.
The company types PVNED (mainly) supports
- Trading companies (Trade Only): Active via EPEX SPOT or EXAA, often affected by the collateral APCS requires on an open position. For this group, the Dutch market is attractive precisely because the same open position pays off here instead.
- Energy producers: Including hydropower plant operators looking to combine their output with a market that runs on a different price logic than Austria’s.
- Industrial bulk consumers: Aligning Dutch consumption and procurement, separate from the Austrian balance group structure.
- Energy suppliers and aggregators: Their Dutch customer base still needs someone to answer for its balance. PVNED takes on exactly that part.
Neutral by design with pooling built in
For Austrian parties used to collateral requirements on open positions at APCS, the shift is a real one. The same open position that ties up capital at APCS pays off through PVNED instead. That’s possible because PVNED stays neutral, holding only client positions rather than a trading book of its own. So nothing about how we operate competes with your strategy. As a client, you also automatically share in the imbalance pool.
Put your APCS collateral to work on the Dutch market
Whether you’re adding the Dutch market to your existing EPEX SPOT or EXAA strategy for the first time, or already hold a Dutch position with another BRP and are weighing a switch away from APCS collateral, we’re happy to think through what fits your situation.
Get in touch with PVNED or call +31 (0)85 040 3210 to discuss how your open position can move from APCS collateral to a TenneT advantage on the Dutch imbalance market.
Frequently asked questions by Austrian companies
Why is an open position more attractive in the Netherlands than in Austria?
In the Netherlands, TenneT rewards a deliberately open position; in Austria, APCS penalises the same behaviour with a warning. PVNED manages that Dutch open position on your behalf, including the advantage that comes with it.
How liquid is the Dutch imbalance market for a foreign trading party?
The Dutch imbalance market sees activity from every BRP balancing its portfolio, every quarter-hour, every day, which is what creates the two-price situations our imbalance pool captures. It’s not a niche corner of the market: it’s the mechanism every party connected to the Dutch grid relies on to stay in balance, foreign and domestic alike.
Is the Dutch imbalance market more volatile than the hydropower-driven market in Austria I’m used to?
Yes, with sharper swings driven by the high share of wind and solar. Our specialists build daily forecasts around exactly that volatility, so it’s already accounted for by the time it reaches your position.
Can I keep my existing APCS balance group membership in Austria while also trading through PVNED on the Dutch market?
Yes. Your Austrian balance group membership and your Dutch position through PVNED are entirely separate arrangements. Nothing about your existing APCS relationship changes as the Dutch position runs alongside it, not instead of it.
How quickly can I be operational?
Six to twelve months. That’s how long TenneT’s own BRP recognition process takes a new applicant, and it’s the one step you don’t have to go through: PVNED already holds that status. What remains is onboarding as a PVNED client, typically around a month, before your Dutch position goes live.