French aFRR capacity: signs of saturation shift the edge to optimisation
French aFRR capacity: signs of saturation shift the edge to optimisation
France rewrote two key rules for its aFRR capacity market in January 2026.
Physical nomination gates are now open every 15 minutes instead of every hour, letting batteries certify up to 50% more capacity. Separately, France's energy regulator (CRE) banned symmetric bids, requiring operators to price each direction independently.
Both changes accelerate a shift already underway. The battery fleet has grown past 1.5 GW, reserve demand is flat, and clearing prices have halved in six months.
In a saturating market, the edge shifts from participation to optimisation.
For any further information on this topic, reach out to the author — timothee@modoenergy.com.
aFRR capacity price has decreased as France's battery fleet surged past 1.5 GW
As France's battery fleet passes 1.5 GW, the pool of assets eligible for aFRR continues to grow. Even though not all are prequalified yet, supply is approaching a level that will increasingly exceed RTE’s 750MW requirement.
By January, upward capacity was clearing at 16 EUR/MW/h and downward at 12, a fraction of the prices seen when the auction reopened in mid-2024.
The January 2026 reforms add a structural accelerant.
Quarter-hourly gates unlock up to 50% more certifiable aFRR capacity
To certify aFRR capacity, a battery must guarantee it can sustain full activation in one direction for the entire worst-case period before rebalancing. That means setting aside enough stored energy as a buffer.
Reserve providers rebalance their position through intraday market trades and physical nominations to RTE. Since 27 January 2026, these gates now open every 15 minutes instead of every hour.
When a battery is called to inject at full power, it discharges continuously until the operator submits a corrective nomination at the next window. The longer the wait, the more energy is consumed and the larger the buffer the battery must hold in reserve.
With gates now closing every 15 minutes instead of every hour, that wait shrinks and so does the buffer, freeing more capacity for certification.
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