Enhanced Real-Time Unit Commitment Engagement
Documents referenced on this page, but not posted, can be obtained by contacting engagement@ieso.ca with a link to the web page that lists the document and advise whether it needs to be provided in an accessible format. Please allow a minimum of one business day for a response.
Update August 21, 2019: The Enhanced Real-Time Unit Commitment high-level design engagement has completed. Please visit the energy detailed design engagement to learn about current engagement opportunities.
The IESO is working with stakeholders to design and develop an Enhanced Real-Time Unit Commitment (ERUC) program. An Enhanced Real-Time Unit Commitment Program will improve the efficiency of unit commitments in the intra-day timeframe by taking into account all resource costs in commitment decisions. An ERUC will also improve commitment decisions overall by optimizing over multiple hours rather than solving for each hour independently.
The Real-Time Generator Cost Guarantee (RT-GCG) program ensures that generators with long start-up times are available to meet reliability, if needed, in real-time. It has evolved over the years in terms of its eligibility criteria and the cost recovery framework and methodology. However, there remain a number of systemic issues with the design of the current program.
- Inefficiency: Resources under the program are committed solely on the basis of their energy offers; start-up, speed no load and other costs are not included in this calculation and are recovered under the pre-approved cost recovery framework.
- Lack of Competition: The lack of consideration of start-up costs means generators in the program do not have to compete on those costs to get a commitment.
- Misalignment with Day-Ahead: The day-ahead and intra-day commitment programs use different optimization both in terms of the inputs considered and the optimization timeframe (day-ahead commitments are based on three-part offers and 24 hour optimization where RT-GCG commitments are based on energy offers only and each hour is optimized independently).
- Administration and Oversight: Historically, cost submissions have been subject to review and audit creating a high administrative burden for both the IESO and market participants.
The design of the RT-GCG program has also been criticized in several Market Surveillance Panel reports due to its inefficiency, cost and lack of transparency.
Under Market Renewal the current commitment program will be enhanced to one that facilitates greater competition and more efficiently commits resources anticipated to be needed for reliability in real-time. This will be achieved by:
- Allowing participants to competitively submit offers reflecting incremental energy, start-up and speed-no-load costs respectively
- Including all costs associated with offers in the IESO’s optimization tools
- Making commitment decisions based on the total efficiency of all hours across the commitment period
Enhanced Real-Time Unit Commitment, together with a Day-Ahead Market and a Single Schedule Market collectively will improve the dispatch, commitment and pricing of resources in the energy market.
Get involved
This initiative will re-envision how stakeholders participate and are committed in the intra-day timeframe and will therefore be of interest to all IESO market participants.
Interested parties are invited to participate in, and provide feedback on, any of the Market Renewal initiatives.
For more information about how to become involved or to provide comments on this initiative, please contact engagement@ieso.ca.
Enhanced Real-Time Unit Commitment High-Level Design (final full document August 2019)
Executive Summary (final August 2019)
Revisions to the Energy Stream High-Level Design Documents (August 2019)
Enhanced Real-Time Unit Commitment High-Level Design (draft full document December 2018)
Executive Summary (draft December 2018)
ERUC Design Tracker
Issues & Actions Log
Schedule of Activities
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Date |
Activities |
Expected Actions |
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August 8, 2019
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February 28, 2019 |
Stakeholder Feedback
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February 7, 2019 |
Q&A Session
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December 20, 2018 |
Release of draft ERUC High-Level Design |
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December 15, 2018 |
Stakeholder Feedback
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November 22, 2018 |
Deadline for feedback on SSM HLD
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October 18, 2018
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Market Renewal Education and Awareness Sessions for targeted audiences |
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October 18, 2018 |
Stakeholder feedback on materials and issues discussed at the September 20th meeting
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September 20, 2018 Agenda Minutes |
Stakeholder Meeting
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August 16, 2018
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Stakeholder Feedback on materials and issues discussed at the July 18th and 19th meetings
IESO Response to Stakeholder Feedback |
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July 18-19, 2018 Agenda Minutes |
Stakeholder Meeting
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June 21, 2018 |
Stakeholder feedback on materials and issues discussed at the May 23rd and 24th meetings
IESO Response to Stakeholder Feedback |
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June 7, 2018 |
Webinar Invitation: MRP Energy Workstream - Intertie Transactions - Stakeholder Discussion
Stakeholder Feedback
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May 23-24, 2018 Agenda Minutes |
Stakeholder Meeting
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April 27, 2018 |
Stakeholder feedback on materials and issues discussed at March 29 meeting
IESO Response to Stakeholder Feedback |
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March 29, 2018 ERUC Minutes MPMI Minutes |
Stakeholder Meeting
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February 15, 2018 |
Stakeholder Feedback
IESO Response to Stakeholder Feedback |
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January 31, 2018 Agenda Minutes |
Stakeholder Meeting
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December 7, 2017 |
Stakeholder Feedback
IESO Response to Stakeholder Feedback |
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November 27, 2017 Agenda |
Stakeholder Meeting – Design Elements Fundamentals
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Materials posted one week in advance of meeting Recorded Presentation |
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October 30, 2017 Agenda |
Stakeholder Meeting – Design Elements Fundamentals
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Recorded Presentation |
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October 11, 2017 Agenda |
Stakeholder Meeting - Introduction to Engagement, High Level Overview of Design Elements and Scope
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Recorded Presentation |
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September 28, 2017 |
Announce Engagement and Post Draft Stakeholder Engagement Plan |