Sweden.
Status: operational; first 2025/26 strategic-reserve tender cancelled, then re-tendered.
Wholesale design: Four Nordic bidding zones, shared Nordic reserve products and an out-of-market strategic reserve.
Market type
Jurisdictional market
Operators
Svenska kraftnät · Nord Pool
Dispatch model
self-dispatch within Nordic balancing
Where energy trades
Where does energy trade in Sweden electricity market?
Energy in Sweden electricity market trades in 3 layers: Nordic energy market, Nordic balancing and strategic reserve.
What a battery can sell
What ancillary services can a battery sell in Sweden electricity market?
Sweden electricity market has 6 ancillary-service products, across 4 families — frequency containment, automatic frequency restoration, manual frequency restoration and inertia & system strength: 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; Nordic manual Frequency Restoration Reserve. Response timing, direction and eligibility for each are in the cards below, as the official sources state them.
Facts below are stated as the official sources state them. A missing line means the
source does not state that value — never that the value is zero.
Frequency containment
Frequency Containment Reserve for Disturbances, downward
operational
Contain over-frequency after a major disturbance.
Direction
downward
Sustain
at least 20 min
Trigger / range
over-frequency disturbance response curve
Eligibility
Nordic prequalification and national BSP registration
Typical procurement
1400 MW
Pricing
national rules
The 7.5-second checkpoint is a measurement point, not the point of full activation.
Frequency Containment Reserve for Disturbances, upward
operational
Contain under-frequency after a major disturbance.
Direction
upward
Sustain
at least 20 min
Trigger / range
under-frequency disturbance response curve
Eligibility
Nordic prequalification and national BSP registration
Typical procurement
1450 MW
Pricing
national rules
The 7.5-second checkpoint is a measurement point, not the point of full activation.
Frequency Containment Reserve for Normal operation
operational
Continuously regulate small Nordic frequency deviations in normal operation.
Direction
symmetric up and down
Trigger / range
49.9-50.1 Hz normal-operation band
Eligibility
Nordic prequalification and national BSP registration
Typical procurement
600 MW
Pricing
national pay-as-bid or marginal arrangements
Total need is a Nordic dimensioning value, not each country's awarded volume.
Automatic frequency restoration
Nordic automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve
operational
Automatically restore Nordic frequency and balance after FCR action.
Direction
separate upward and downward
Full activation
5 min
Trigger / range
TSO activation signal
Eligibility
prequalified BSPs
Typical procurement
250 MW
Pricing
national/common market rules by product and period
The Nordic requirement is dynamic and should not be treated as a fixed annual procurement.
Manual frequency restoration
Nordic manual Frequency Restoration Reserve
operational; automated Nordic mFRR energy-activation market launched 4 March 2025
Restore balance and release faster reserves using manual or automated TSO dispatch.
Direction
separate upward and downward
Full activation
750 s
Trigger / range
TSO balancing-energy activation
Eligibility
prequalified BSPs
Typical procurement
Dynamic or not publicly stated
Pricing
capacity rules national; energy merit-order activation
Norway also procures a national disturbance variant (mFRR-D); this record describes the common product family.
Inertia & system strength
Fast Frequency Reserve
operational when needed
Arrest rapid frequency decline in low-inertia Nordic operating conditions before FCR-D fully responds.
Direction
upward
Sustain
5 s to 30 s
Trigger / range
procured only when forecast Nordic inertia makes it necessary; activation threshold/profile depends on product variant
Eligibility
prequalified fast storage, demand, generation or other resources
Typical procurement
Dynamic or not publicly stated
Pricing
national tender rules
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
Getting paid to exist
Does Sweden electricity market have a capacity mechanism?
Sweden electricity market has 1 capacity/adequacy arrangement: Swedish strategic reserve. The official sources do not say whether it is a central capacity market.
Swedish strategic reserve
first 2025/26 tender cancelled because all bids exceeded the cap; re-tender launched in 2025 and 350 MW contracted from 15 January to 15 March 2026
Svenska kraftnät procures an out-of-market reserve for winter adequacy under EU-approved rules.
competitive tender up to a specified volume and price cap
Unit of obligation
remain available for exceptional activation during contracted winter dates
Auction held in 2025
No — The 2025 process was cancelled or produced no held auction.
Nordic mFRR and FCR are normal balancing markets.
tendered availability payment; final re-tender contract price was not disclosed in the cited announcement
Current as of · from the
Global Electricity Market Catalogue v1.2.0 (compiled to , CC BY 4.0). Facts belong to the linked official authorities;
verify the current rules before design or bidding decisions.
Questions
Common questions about Sweden electricity market
Who operates Sweden electricity market?
Sweden electricity market covers Sweden and is operated by Svenska kraftnät and Nord Pool.
Was a qualifying capacity event held in Sweden electricity market in 2025?
No. Swedish strategic reserve: no qualifying 2025 event is recorded. The 2025 process was cancelled or produced no held auction.
How is energy traded, priced and settled in Sweden electricity market?
Sweden electricity market: Four Nordic bidding zones, shared Nordic reserve products and an out-of-market strategic reserve. dispatch — self-dispatch within Nordic balancing.