Market ancillary services specification and FCAS verification tool

The market ancillary services specification ( MASS) contains:

• A detailed description of each kind of market ancillary service.

• The performance parameters and requirements which must be satisfied for a service to qualify as the relevant market ancillary service, and also when a market participant provides the relevant kind of market ancillary service.

• Verification procedures for market ancillary services.

AEMO has amended the terminology in the Market Ancillary Service Specification (MASS) for the purposes of the National Electricity Amendment (Integrating energy storage systems into the NEM) Rule 2021 No. 13 (IESS Rule). In summary, the change is to include the new term “ancillary service unit” to replace terms “ancillary service generating unit” and “ancillary service load”.

The FCAS verification tool (FCASVT) is an Excel spreadsheet that has been made available to NEM participants to calculate FCAS delivered by their plant.

Version 6.2 of the FCASVT will calculate very fast raise (R1), fast raise (R6), slow raise (R60), delayed raise (R5), very fast lower (L1), fast lower (L6), slow lower (L60), and delayed lower (L5) delivery in accordance with the MASS. The FCASVT allows the user to inspect in detail how the MASS is applied in processing data to arrive at a result.

The terminology in the FCAS Verification User Guide has been amended for the purposes of the National Electricity Amendment (Integrating energy storage systems into the NEM) Rule 2021 No. 13 (IESS Rule). The change is to include the new term “ancillary service unit” to replace terms “ancillary service generating unit” and “ancillary service load”.

The Wind Farm and Solar Farm Guide to Contingency FCAS Registration has been developed by AEMO to assist market participants in the NEM looking to register a wind farm or a solar farm to provide contingency FCAS.

The BESS Guide to Contingency FCAS Registration has been developed by AEMO to assist market participants in the NEM looking to register a battery energy storage system to provide contingency FCAS.

The guide has been updated to include testing and measurement requirements for DC-coupled energy storage systems.