Start of tendering process for long-term capacity under the StromVKG – Bidding end date: 8 September 2026
Year of issue 2026
Date of issue 2026.07.21
The Bundesnetzagentur has today launched the call for tenders to ensure security of supply under the Electricity Supply Security and Capacity Act (StromVKG). It has announced on its website that bidding in the first auction for long-term capacity will end on 8 September 2026.
“The StromVKG is expected to enter into force soon. With this law, the legislators have created a framework to ensure that the electricity market continues to have sufficient guaranteed capacity in the future. This is of major importance for security of supply and covers periods in which too little electricity is generated from renewable energies,”
said Klaus Müller, President of the Bundesnetzagentur. “The Bundesnetzagentur prepared thoroughly for this even before the legislation was adopted. We will now hold the auctions with the utmost care, but swiftly. Our objective is to enable construction of the first plants as soon as possible.”
Auctions for long-term capacity under the StromVKG
Two auctions for long-term capacity will be held by the end of this year.
Plants that can provide secured electricity over a longer period are eligible to participate. This means that longer periods without generation from renewable energies or without electricity imports can also be secured. The power generation plants must meet specific requirements regarding their location and technical properties, for example by providing what is known as inertia to secure network integrity, even in periods when they are not feeding electricity into the network.
If a bidder is awarded a tender, they are obligated to maintain and provide the generating capacity for a period of 15 years. In return, they receive an annual remuneration. The amount of remuneration is determined through competition. In the auctions, only the most cost-effective bids guaranteeing security of supply can be tendered. With regard to long-term capacity, a regional control component is in place for ensuring that expansion is beneficial to the system. Regional control is not triggered until power plant projects in northerly networks have been awarded contracts for one third of the volume put out to tender. Only then will bids for power plants in southerly networks receive a bonus, meaning that a deduction of €16,000 per megawatt of reduced capacity per year will be taken into account in the ranking.
Bid deadline 8 September 2026
A total of 4,500 megawatts of reduced capacity will be put out to tender for the first auction, which will end on 8 September 2026. The reduced capacity is assessed using a factor laid down by law for the auctions for long-term capacity, which evaluates a power plant’s actual contribution to security of supply and varies depending on the technology. The price cap in this round is €244,000 per megawatt of reduced capacity per year.
Bids must be submitted electronically by midnight on 8 September 2026 using the internet platform set up by the Bundesnetzagentur for this purpose. In today’s announcement of the auction, the Bundesnetzagentur has laid down binding rules on the formats and forms for submitting bids. They are available (in German) through the following link: www.bundesnetzagentur.de/1111198. Bids that do not comply with these rules will be excluded from the procedure.
Next steps
The successful bids in the first auction will be announced by 3 November 2026.
Dates of the second auction for long-term capacity will be announced on 10 November 2026.
