Important Dates & Materials

Feb. 13 | Deadline for Market Sounding Requests

Feb. 6 | Materials posted

• FAQ - Fast Frequency Response Plus (FFR+)
• FAQ - Market-based Fast Frequency Response (FFR)

Feb. 4 | Stakeholder Update (below) and Materials posted

• FFR+ Preliminary Requirements
• Consolidated Written Feedback - FFR High-Level Design Update
  
  

Feb. 4, 2026 | Stakeholder Update

We have posted the consolidated feedback received from stakeholders on January 19. We will also be publishing a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ document by the end of this week to respond to some of the items raised.

Draft Preliminary Requirements

The AESO is providing stakeholders with draft preliminary requirements that an asset must meet to participate in the AESO’s expected FFR+ procurement. These requirements are preliminary, being provided for information purposes only, and intended for discussion with stakeholders interested in participating. They are subject to change at the AESO’s discretion and use of or reliance on such requirements is at the market participant’s sole risk. We will provide updated preliminary requirements before the April 30, 2026, Cluster 3 System Access Service Request deadline.

FFR+ Preliminary Requirements

Market Sounding Meetings

To continue progressing the FFR+ design, we invite potential proponents to meet virtually one-on-one for market sounding over the next several weeks. The market sounding meetings will provide an opportunity to discuss and gather feedback on FFR+ draft preliminary requirements and project implementation timelines.

We will share key themes from the market sounding meetings with stakeholders on AESO Engage along with resulting updates.

Identification of Prospective FFR+ Service Providers

The AESO values stakeholder input and invites potential proponents with a new energy storage asset that may materially meet the draft preliminary requirements to request a meeting with the AESO at their earliest convenience by emailing ffrservices@aeso.ca with your name and organization. All market sounding requests must be made before February 13, 2026, and the AESO will use all feedback received in market sounding before February 25 to inform the updated requirements.

Purpose

We are engaging on the procurement of highly available Fast Frequency Response (“FFR”) to meet the requirements outlined in the amended Transmission Regulation, Alberta Regulation 86/2007, and the ancillary services provisions in the Energy and Utilities Statutes Amendment Act (Bill 52). Through this engagement, the AESO is seeking input on different product and procurement designs for highly available FFR to support full import flows on the Alberta-British Columbia and Montana-Alberta interties.

Background

We developed an initial preliminary design of FFR+, a highly available ancillary service to provide a near-instantaneous response to arrest frequency decline following an intertie trip. The “plus” reflects that FFR+ is always available and may include other grid reliability services that are not procured through a market. The AESO has developed FFR+ in response to the amended Transmission Regulation, which requires the AESO to make arrangements to procure ancillary services sufficient to support import flows of up to 800 MW capability on the Alberta-British Columbia intertie (which is expected to increase over time) and up to 300 MW on the Montana-Alberta intertie.

We currently procure FFR through voluntary arrangements that do not guarantee high availability. To meet the new requirements, the AESO is proposing to competitively procure up to 750 MW of highly available FFR+ through commercial contracts.

How to use the Discussion Forum Tool