Denmark. Status: operational.
Wholesale design: Two bidding zones with different frequency-product families by synchronous area; aFRR and mFRR are procured under Energinet tender conditions.
Energy in Denmark electricity market trades in 2 layers: Nordic energy market and balancing.
Denmark electricity market has 9 ancillary-service products, across 4 families — frequency containment, automatic frequency restoration, manual frequency restoration and inertia & system strength: automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve; Frequency Containment Reserve; manual Frequency Restoration Reserve; Nordic automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve; Frequency Containment Reserve for Disturbances, downward; Frequency Containment Reserve for Disturbances, upward; Frequency Containment Reserve for Normal operation; Fast Frequency Reserve, and 1 more. Response timing, direction and eligibility for each are in the table below; a product's full record lists the official sources behind it.
Every value below comes from the official sources listed in that product's full record. Most products cite more than one, and the published sources do not say which of them states each individual value, so the binding is to the product's record rather than to a single document. A missing line means the source does not state that value — never that the value is zero.
Scroll the table sideways for the rest of the columns →
| Service | How it activates | Response | Sustained delivery | Procurement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency containment | ||||
| Frequency Containment Reserve FCRprimary frequency controlprimary reserve symmetric or separate upward/downward according to synchronous area and national procurement operational | Response type automatic, local-frequency-proportional, pre-fault and post-fault containment Trigger continuous response to local frequency deviation; exact deadband and droop are national/synchronous-area technical parameters | Full activation 30 s | Bought national or regional capacity procurement, commonly day-ahead How it settles capacity remuneration or mandatory provision depending on national implementation; energy/imbalance treatment is national Pricing design national/regional rules Counted as DK1 only, not DK2 | |
Full record for Frequency Containment Reserve — page or table locator recorded What it is for Contain frequency deviations before frequency-restoration processes take over. Where it sits Continental Europe FCR capacity procurement Where it applies Bidding zone: DK1 Published checkpoints Full activation requirement: 30 s · Response checkpoint: 15 s (50% of response) · Response checkpoint: 30 s (100% of response) How this market implements it This record applies to DK1; DK2 uses Nordic FCR-N/FCR-D products. Who can provide it prequalified generation, storage or demand resources meeting synchronous-area and national TSO requirements Notes from the source Thirty seconds is the Continental Europe full-activation time, not a universal Europe-wide value. Continental Europe requirement for a frequency deviation of at least 200 mHz; do not apply to Nordic FCR products Status of this product Operational in 2025 Checkpoint recap Full activation 30 s What the source does not state The source states the full-activation requirement. It does not state how long delivery has to be sustained, and the volume is either set per auction or not published as a standing figure — the source does not say which. Sources
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| Frequency Containment Reserve for Disturbances, downward FCR-D down downward operational | Response type automatic post-fault frequency response Trigger over-frequency disturbance response curve | Response checkpoint 7.5 s (86% of response) | Minimum obligation at least 20 min | System requirement — approximate 1400 MW Bought national day-ahead and/or longer-term markets How it settles capacity payment under national arrangements Pricing design national rules Counted as the Nordic total, not the DK2 allocation |
Full record for Frequency Containment Reserve for Disturbances, downward — page or table locator recorded What it is for Contain over-frequency after a major disturbance. Where it sits Danish-Swedish procurement of Nordic FCR-D down Where it applies Bidding zone: DK2 Published checkpoints Response checkpoint: 7.5 s (86% of response) Who can provide it Nordic prequalification and national BSP registration Notes from the source The 7.5-second checkpoint is a measurement point, not the point of full activation. Status of this product Operational in 2025 Checkpoint recap Minimum sustained 20 min What the source does not state The source states a minimum delivery period and a procurement volume. It does not state a response deadline of its own or a maximum duration. It does publish a response checkpoint, listed with the other checkpoints in this record. Sources
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| Frequency Containment Reserve for Disturbances, upward FCR-D up upward operational | Response type automatic post-fault frequency response Trigger under-frequency disturbance response curve | Response checkpoint 7.5 s (86% of response) | Minimum obligation at least 20 min | System requirement — approximate 1450 MW Bought national day-ahead and/or longer-term markets How it settles capacity payment under national arrangements Pricing design national rules Counted as the Nordic total, not the DK2 allocation |
Full record for Frequency Containment Reserve for Disturbances, upward — page or table locator recorded What it is for Contain under-frequency after a major disturbance. Where it sits Danish-Swedish procurement of Nordic FCR-D up Where it applies Bidding zone: DK2 Published checkpoints Response checkpoint: 7.5 s (86% of response) Who can provide it Nordic prequalification and national BSP registration Notes from the source The 7.5-second checkpoint is a measurement point, not the point of full activation. Status of this product Operational in 2025 Checkpoint recap Minimum sustained 20 min What the source does not state The source states a minimum delivery period and a procurement volume. It does not state a response deadline of its own or a maximum duration. It does publish a response checkpoint, listed with the other checkpoints in this record. Sources
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| Frequency Containment Reserve for Normal operation FCR-N symmetric up and down operational | Response type automatic proportional pre-fault frequency response Trigger 49.9-50.1 Hz normal-operation band | Response checkpoint 60 s (63% of response) | System requirement 600 MW Bought national day-ahead and/or longer-term markets How it settles capacity payment; energy and imbalance treatment varies nationally Pricing design national pay-as-bid or marginal arrangements Counted as the Nordic total, not the DK2 allocation | |
Full record for Frequency Containment Reserve for Normal operation — page or table locator recorded What it is for Continuously regulate small Nordic frequency deviations in normal operation. Where it sits Danish-Swedish procurement of Nordic FCR-N Where it applies Bidding zone: DK2 Published checkpoints Response checkpoint: 60 s (63% of response) · Response checkpoint: 3 min (95% of response) Who can provide it Nordic prequalification and national BSP registration Notes from the source Total need is a Nordic dimensioning value, not each country's awarded volume. Status of this product Operational in 2025 What the source does not state The source states a procurement volume. It does not state a response deadline of its own or how long delivery has to be sustained. It does publish a response checkpoint, listed with the other checkpoints in this record. Sources
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| Automatic frequency restoration | ||||
| automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve aFRRsecondary controlsecondary reserve separate upward and downward operational in participating markets; rollout continued | Response type automatic central activation, normally via AGC/set-point signal; continuously activatable standard product Trigger activated from TSO control-area needs rather than a single public frequency threshold | Full activation 5 min | Bought balancing capacity remains nationally procured; balancing energy is activated through national systems and PICASSO where connected How it settles separate capacity and activated-energy settlement where capacity is procured; imbalance effects remain under national terms Smallest bid 1 MW Pricing design capacity pricing is national; common merit-order activation and marginal pricing apply through PICASSO subject to implementation rules Counted as national or Nordic capacity procurement, not an EU total | |
Full record for automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve — page or table locator recorded What it is for Restore frequency and area-control error and release FCR after an imbalance. Where it sits EU balancing-energy standard/PICASSO parent layer; capacity procurement differs by zone Where it applies Bidding zones: DK1, DK2 Bought in blocks of 15 min Published checkpoints Standard product, full activation: 5 min Who can provide it prequalified balancing service providers; aggregation rules are national Notes from the source A common balancing-energy product does not imply common national capacity procurement, qualification or settlement. EU standard-product full activation time; before 18 December 2025 national products and transition rules still apply and have to be checked market by market Status of this product Operational in 2025 Checkpoint recap Full activation 5 min What the source does not state The source states the full-activation requirement. It does not state how long delivery has to be sustained, and the volume is either set per auction or not published as a standing figure — the source does not say which. Sources
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| Nordic automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve aFRR separate upward and downward operational | Response type automatic AGC/set-point response Trigger TSO activation signal | Full activation 5 min | System requirement — approximate 250 MW Bought national procurement coordinated in the Nordic market How it settles capacity and activated energy Pricing design national/common market rules by product and period Counted as a dynamic Nordic total, not the DK2 award | |
Full record for Nordic automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve — page or table locator recorded What it is for Automatically restore Nordic frequency and balance after FCR action. Where it sits common Nordic aFRR capacity procurement; EU/PICASSO energy layer is automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve Where it applies Bidding zone: DK2 Published checkpoints Regional implementation, full activation: 5 min Who can provide it prequalified BSPs Notes from the source The Nordic requirement is dynamic and should not be treated as a fixed annual procurement. Status of this product Operational in 2025 in DK2 only, for the Nordic capacity market Checkpoint recap Full activation 5 min What the source does not state The source states the full-activation requirement and a procurement volume. It does not state how long delivery has to be sustained. Sources
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| Manual frequency restoration | ||||
| manual Frequency Restoration Reserve mFRRtertiary reservemanual restoration reserve separate upward and downward operational in national markets; MARI integration continued | Response type scheduled or direct manual/automated-dispatch activation of a balancing-energy bid Trigger TSO activation based on imbalance, reserve need and common merit order; not a single frequency threshold | Full activation 750 s maximum full activation time for the EU standard product; legacy national products may differ | Minimum obligation at least 5 min | Bought national balancing-capacity procurement; balancing-energy activation through national arrangements and MARI where connected How it settles capacity plus activated energy where capacity is procured; energy-only bids may also participate under national terms Smallest bid 1 MW Pricing design national capacity rules and common-platform energy pricing under the implementation framework Counted as national or Nordic capacity procurement, not an EU total |
Full record for manual Frequency Restoration Reserve — page or table locator recorded What it is for Restore system balance manually or by automated dispatch after faster reserves and release aFRR/FCR. Where it sits EU standard-product parent layer; Nordic mFRR is the 2025 regional implementation Where it applies Bidding zones: DK1, DK2 Bought in blocks of 15 min Published checkpoints Standard product, maximum full activation: 750 s Who can provide it prequalified balancing service providers; aggregation and telemetry requirements are national Notes from the source The 12.5-minute value is a standard-product maximum full-activation time; legacy national tertiary products may use different labels or timings. Status of this product Operational nationally and across the Nordics in 2025, but not as the MARI product Checkpoint recap Full activation 750 s · Minimum sustained 5 min What the source does not state The source states the full-activation requirement and a minimum delivery period. It does not state a maximum duration, and the volume is either set per auction or not published as a standing figure — the source does not say which. Sources
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| Nordic manual Frequency Restoration Reserve mFRRregulating power separate upward and downward operational; automated Nordic mFRR energy-activation market launched 4 March 2025 | Response type manual or automated dispatch of scheduled/direct activation bids Trigger TSO balancing-energy activation | Full activation 750 s | Bought national capacity procurement and common Nordic energy-activation market How it settles capacity where procured plus activated energy Pricing design capacity rules national; energy merit-order activation Counted as dynamic DK1 and DK2 procurement, not an EU total | |
Full record for Nordic manual Frequency Restoration Reserve — page or table locator recorded What it is for Restore balance and release faster reserves using manual or automated TSO dispatch. Where it sits Nordic mFRR energy activation and trilateral capacity procurement; EU/MARI parent is manual Frequency Restoration Reserve Where it applies Bidding zones: DK1, DK2 Published checkpoints Regional implementation, maximum full activation: 750 s Who can provide it prequalified BSPs Notes from the source Norway also procures a national disturbance variant (mFRR-D); this record describes the common product family. Status of this product Operational from 4 March 2025, but not as the MARI product Checkpoint recap Full activation 750 s What the source does not state The source states the full-activation requirement. It does not state how long delivery has to be sustained, and the volume is either set per auction or not published as a standing figure — the source does not say which. Sources
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| Inertia & system strength | ||||
| Fast Frequency Reserve FFRFFR ProfileFFR Flex upward operational when needed | Response type automatic post-fault frequency-triggered response Trigger procured only when forecast Nordic inertia makes it necessary; activation threshold/profile depends on product variant | Representative value 1 s | Maximum stated 5 s to 30 s | Bought national TSO tenders when the Nordic need is forecast How it settles availability under national procurement and performance rules Pricing design national tender rules Counted as a dynamic DK2-only need |
Full record for Fast Frequency Reserve — page or table locator recorded What it is for Arrest rapid frequency decline in low-inertia Nordic operating conditions before FCR-D fully responds. Where it sits local DK2 procurement of Nordic FFR Where it applies Bidding zone: DK2 Who can provide it prequalified fast storage, demand, generation or other resources Notes from the source FFR variants have different frequency thresholds and activation times; use national tender conditions for bidding. This is a representative value for the product family. The exact activation requirement depends on the contracted threshold and profile, so treat it as indicative rather than as one universal deadline Status of this product Operational when needed in 2025 Checkpoint recap Minimum sustained 5 s · Maximum sustained 30 s What the source does not state The source states a maximum delivery duration. It does not state a response time, and the volume is either set per auction or not published as a standing figure — the source does not say which. Sources
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No. Denmark electricity market's capacity/adequacy arrangement: No Danish market-wide adequacy Capacity Market.
no operational market-wide Capacity Market or strategic reserve identified in ACER's 2025 EU mapping
Energinet ancillary-service tenders are operational reserve markets.
Current as of · from the Global Electricity Market Catalogue v1.2.0 (compiled to , CC BY 4.0, rendered here with wording edited for readability). Facts belong to the linked official authorities; verify the current rules before design or bidding decisions.
The markets index holds the full set. For what the grid demands of a battery here, see the grid-code ride-through atlas.