Bridging the Knowledge Gap for New Market Entrants in the Swedish Electric Power System : Market development modeling for the FCR-D Up balancing market

Abstract: The need for ancillary services is on the rise due to the increasing share of weather-dependent power sources in the electric power system. This master thesis focuses on the Swedish FCR-D Up market. It is a national balancing market for transmission system operator’s procurement of the ancillary service called FCR-D Up, that is the up-regulating frequency containment reserve in case of system disturbances. The FCR-D Up market is undergoing significant changes to adapt to the changing electric power system, which may affect the current market dominance of hydropower suppliers due to the emergence of new suppliers and regulatory changes by the Swedish transmission system operator. This master thesis establishes a conceptual qualitative market development system model for price formation on the FCR-D Up market. The research question addressed is: "What FCR-D Up market developments and regulatory market changes on the supply and demand side respectively are expected in Sweden in the upcoming years, 2024-2026, and how will they affect the market prices?" The research was based on the theoretical concepts of system modeling and price formation, using Soft Systems Methodology. Data was collected from various sources and analysed using CATWOE analysis, Casual Loop Diagram, as well as supply and demand curve model theory. It was concluded that price-influencing market development and regulatory changes are focused on the supply side of the market. These include the market entry of new suppliers, transition to marginal pricing, new technical requirements for market participation and increasing value stacking opportunities for FCR-D Up suppliers on Nord Pool’s electricity markets and the other balancing markets.