EIFlexi: How ALPACA is changing the balancing services market in Czechia

Balancing services (SVR) have recently become one of the most widely discussed topics in the energy sector. The new regional ALPACA initiative linking Czechia, Germany and Austria has entered the picture, while the importance of flexibility aggregators is growing. We now bring you the first part of an interview with Matěj Hrubý, Senior Project Manager at EIFlexi, one of the leading flexibility aggregators in the Czech Republic, on current developments in the balancing services market.

Since 3 September, Czechia has been involved in the ALPACA initiative, which links Czechia, Germany and Austria and provides backup for automatically activated frequency restoration reserves (aFRR). What has it brought so far in the two weeks since then?

The first two weeks of participation in ALPACA have shown an increase in prices for providing balancing services. Following a weak summer in terms of prices, prices began to rise at the turn of August and September. After joining ALPACA, this trend intensified further. Market dynamics have also increased.