Introduction – MIG, what?
MIG stands for ‘Market Implementation Guide’; the umbrella term used for the market processes governing data and information exchanges between key participants on the Belgian energy markets. In short, MIG is the ‘market model’ for the gas and power market.
This market model governs the exchange of information between all Distribution Grid Operators (DGO/DSO) and other market participants such as Transmission System Operators, gas & power suppliers, producers, and Balancing Responsible Parties. Currently, the Belgian energy markets operate under the rules specified in the MIG4.1 market model.
Why change?
Energy markets are facing a radical transformation. In power we see trends such as decentralized power generation, renewables, smart metering, and virtual power plants. Furthermore, there will be an increase in demand due to the rising adoption of EVs, electric heating (heating pumps), etc.
Due to climate goals we also see a switch towards biogas, and the ambition to fully halt the reliance on natural-gas by 2050 in Europe. There’s talk by TSOs of hydrogen & using existing gas infrastructure.
On top of all that, the market has been effectively liberalised these past 20 years in Europe, spawning many more types of market participants. This in turn gives rise to increased market complexity.
MIG6 aims to support the energy market transition and make better use of the possibilities that arise from the liberalisation of the energy markets. There are several benefits of adopting MIG6 as identified by experts. We list 3 key benefits which we see as a service provider:
- Improved data-exchange with less room for ‘error’
- Cost-effective solutions, increased efficiency & operational excellence
- Greater flexibility for all market parties to adapt to a changing society
These changes should lead to a healthy ecosystem offering the best value for money to all types of power & gas consumers/end-users. Below is a picture showcasing a wide range of benefits as listed by Atrias.
Who is Atrias?
The mission of Atrias is to develop and maintain a reliable and innovative IT infrastructure that benefits all market participants on behalf of the distribution grid operators.
Atrias is working to launch the Central Market System (CMS) as a centralized platform for the exchange of information & dataflows between market participants. They are also responsible for managing the market Model and upgrading from MIG4.1 to MIG6 in close collaboration with the market.
How are we preparing for the transition to MIG6
Atrias meetings
Energy One is attending the Atrias meetings and closely involved with our customers who will have to transition to MIG6. Our product owner and business analysts are creating user stories based on the information gathered in these meetings.
Based on these user stories our CTO & development team are working on setting-up the correct integrations & market communication profiles, and they will deploy the updates needed. That way we ensure our SaaS platforms for gas & power operations, as well as our solution for switching direct-connected customers (large industrials) on the Belgian gas gridwill be ready for MIG6 and will be extensively tested before it goes live.
Central Market System testing
The transition is ongoing as we write this. As a service provider we’re also helping our customers with setting up their accounts on the online platforms provided by Atrias: TOPdesk and Sharepoint. These online platforms are a part of the Central Market System, and are ‘live’ for testing since March ’21. The due date for the whole transition and MIG6 to go live in Q3-Q4 2021.
We’re registered on TOPdesk and SharePoint and we’re also aiding our clients with these registration procedures.
Settlement Flow information
Settlement = the processes used by market parties to trace and ‘settling’ the energy currents on the grid. The settlement flow goes from Forecasting, to Infeed, Allocation, and finally Reconciliation.
There are changes to the settlement flow in MIG6 versus MIG4.1, as shown in the screenshot below:
MIG6 allows for more detailed injection information, adapting to changes such as the rise of small local production (think a roof full of solar panels).
There’s also more detailed information available for off-take, with the inclusion of Digital meters. The Flemish region plans to have installed the digital meter in 80% of households by 2024 and 100% by ’29. Wallonia and Brussels are also looking at the options to introduce digital meters the coming years. This should be a boon for forecasting as well, as it allows (in theory) more accurate tracking of consumption.
Many documents & details can be found here: https://www.atrias.be/projects
New load profiles
Because there is more detailed information available MIG6 also foresees to adopt other ‘load profiles’. Currently, there are only Synthetic Load Profiles for all types of gas (60’) and power (15’) volumes.
MIG6 foresees a split between consumption/offtake profiles and production/injection profiles which will enable the detailed information needed for the improved settlement flow.
We’ll be following up the changes required to replace the SLPs with RLPs. Clients using our forecasting for gas and/or power consumption will also be updated. We’ll adopt the new profiles and train the forecasting models to work with them.
Implementation of new messaging formats
So far, we’ve mapped all message flows for our customers and the changes needed to become MIG6-compliant. Your account manager is available for answering any questions!
Our added value as a service provider
Energy One gives the customer peace of mind by taking away the need to implement new message formats, protocols, and other market communication changes across energy markets.
We’re handling market communication across more than 30 gas & power grids for 120+ companies. This is done through our software solutions for market communication, nomination, balancing, and scheduling.
Our job is to stay on top of all changes regarding market processes and messaging in every country, so obviously we keep an ear to the ground in Belgium as well. Our business analysts and product owner participate in all relevant information sessions regarding MIG6.
Any market participant in Belgium who is not sure that they are ready for MIG6, or what this could mean in terms of business continuity should get in touch with us.
With our solutions you can rest assured that your market communications will stay up & running before, during, and after the switch from MIG4.1 to MIG6!
MIG6 & the Central Market System open up countless possibilities to modernize, which will boost operational excellence, and in turn improve your business. For example; you could use reporting solutions to show your data in dashboards. Or have you thought about an event-driven integration, where we can notify you when there are changes in the MIG6 data/messages?
As experts in modern IT solutions for the gas & power industry we are eager to explore these possibilities with you. More on this coming soon!
Further reading
Much more on MIG6 can be found on https://www.atrias.be/
We also refer you gladly to 2 very insightful in-depth articles: