Yes, but there is one important condition: Yuso only offers explicit flexibility services such as aFRR and FRC for batteries with a nominal capacity of 25 MW or more.

For batteries smaller than 25 MW, Yuso only offers imbalance control. This is a conscious choice on Yuso's part.

It is true that the combination of imbalance & reserved flexibility (aFRR, FCR) generates higher turnover, but there are also some significant costs and drawbacks. So it is not a black-and-white story.

Here is some additional information about why we have made this choice.

Transparency

First and foremost, this choice offers the advantage of transparency: each battery installation we control is managed and billed individually.

Our platforms provide full insight into every transaction carried out by the BESS and the volumes and amounts associated with it on a quarterly basis.

If we were to offer reserved flexibility (aFRR and FCR), this would be done at the level of a portfolio of assets from multiple owners, often referred to as a virtual power plant (VPP).

It would then be impossible to offer the same level of transparency.

The revenue from a VPP is always a weighted average across assets from different owners, each with different capacities, availability and response times.

Revenue and costs from these services cannot then be directly linked to individual assets.

Standardisation and minimisation of lead time

By only performing imbalance control, it is sufficient for Yuso to be the balance responsible party (BRP) for the battery access point.

In essence, it is therefore sufficient for us to be designated as the energy supplier for this point.

This allows us to perform the control with the simplest contractual setup, as aFRR and FCR also require BSP (balancing service provider) allocation.

In addition, the installation of a standardised and certified controller is sufficient to meet the technical requirements.

These Yuso Certified Controllers (Eniris, Octave, CIOC, etc.) allow us to abstract from the hardware “behind the controller”. At the same time, we work closely with the Yuso Certified Controller suppliers to ensure that control runs smoothly 24/7.

This allows us to guarantee a minimum turnaround time for every BESS project.

Minimal risks

With pure imbalance control, there are never any penalties or sanctions in the event of a technical malfunction, unlike ancillary services, where penalties do apply if contractual obligations are not met.

With pure imbalance control, all the volume passing through the battery at that moment is compensated at imbalance prices.

If a control signal is not followed or not fully executed, this only results in a loss of revenue; there is never an additional cost in the form of a penalty.

24/7 monitoring costs

For the battery parks we manage, a trading team is available 24/7 to ensure optimal participation in all energy and flexibility markets: revenue stacking.

Asset managers are always available to get the batteries back up and running ASAP in the event of technical malfunctions.

The extra revenues from this revenue stacking are therefore definitely offset by a significant extra effort and cost.

In our opinion, this service is only worthwhile from 25 MW upwards.

Elia is keen on imbalance control, much less so on reserved flexibility

Elia is fully committed to implicit flexibility: flexibility that is not reserved but offered in response to price signals.

The aFRR and FCR market is currently smaller than the total portfolio of battery parks that we manage (<200 MW) and will not be expanded in the coming years.

The need for flexibility will therefore be met on the imbalance market and intra-day.

With our many years of expertise in managing battery parks, we are ideally positioned to also offer intra-day flexibility with smaller batteries, should the business case require this in the future.