CRM Prequalification
Fulfil your legal obligation or determine your Eligible Volume to participate in the Capacity Remuneration Mechanism (CRM)
CRM Prequalification in short
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What is prequalification?
CRM prequalification is a necessary step to register the capacity with Elia either to:
(I) fulfil your legal obligation to submit a Prequalification File (as described in Article 7undecies § 8 al. 2 of the Electricity Act) or
(II) to determine the Eligible Volume to participate to the CRM.
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When does prequalification take place?
(I) The submission of Prequalification Files to participate to an Auction takes place yearly from 15/05 to 15/06. Results of the submitted Prequalification Files are published in September.
(II) The Prequalification Process for Secondary Market participation is continuous.
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How can you prequalifyYou can submit all your information via the CRM IT interface after requiring access via the Application Form.
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Who can prequalify?
All units that fulfill the Eligibility Criteria, described in more details below, can prequalify.
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Do I have to participateThere is an obligation to submit a Prequalification File for storage and production units with a derated capacity above 1 MW, with some exceptions. See below under obligation to prequalify for more information.
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Which process do I need to follow
That depends on your intention and your type of CMU, Existing, Additional or Virtual. The decision tree below can help guide you:
Eligibility Criteria
what actions to be taken
To be eligible for participation in the CRM, there are a number of criteria you need to fulfill as presented in the table below:
| CRM | What action is required | |
| Minimum capacity |
Minimum volume requirement of 1 MW after derating
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You can make a draft calculation of the Nominal Reference Power (NRP) yourself, more information under Eligible Volume Determination. |
| Connection type | For TSO- and/or DSO-connected capacities, including low-voltage flexibility | / |
| Emission limit | Emission limit of 550 g CO2/kWh Or 306kg CO2/kW/y (only if <600 g CO2/kWh) |
You need to provide the official document or attest that proves this to the FPS Economy. |
| CMU status constraints | No constraint (market-wide mechanism): existing & new capacities can participate to the CRM. | / |
| Operational aid | No combination with operational aid (e.g. green certificates). | You need to fill in a conditional waiver template of the FPS Economy. |
| Financial Security | Ensure Financial Security of 10-20 k€/MW to cover for non-payment of potential Pre-delivery Penalties. | You need to provide the collateral to be able to bid in the Auction process by 1 September. |
Existing, Additional and Virtual CMUs
There are different kinds of capacity based on whether the capacity is existing (Existing CMUs) or capacity that is newly added (Virtual and Additional CMUs).
Existing and Additional Capacities need to follow the Standard Prequalification Process to participate in the CRM.
Existing CMU
The capacity for which, at the time of Prequalification File submission, a representative Nominal Reference Power can be calculated based on quarter-hourly measurements.
Additional CMU
The capacity for which, at the time of Prequalification File submission, no representative Nominal Reference Power can be calculated based on quarter-hourly measurements or that is subject to a technical agreement in accordance with the connection process as defined in the Code of Conduct.
Virtual CMU (Unproven Capacity)
Virtual CMUs follow the Specific Prequalification Process.
Capacity which, at the time the Prequalification File is submitted, cannot be related with a specific Delivery Point. Unproven capacity is only allowed to participate to the Y-4 auction.
Obligation to prequalify
Some units are obligated to prequalify:
- Existing units (storage or production) are required to prequalify if they have a derated capacity exceeding 1MW.
- Additional units (storage or production) must prequalify if they:
- hold a signed Technical Agreement along with a production or energy storage permit or
- if they have a signed Connection Contract.
The obligation to prequalify does not mean participation to the Auction is obligatory, there is the possibility to “opt-out”.
There is no obligation to prequalify for:
- Non-Eligible Volume, i.e., capacity that already benefits from other operating aid (green certificates, etc.), small units, …
- Demand Side Response
- Unproven Capacity
- Emergency generators that can work in island mode
More information about this can be found here.
If you are obligated to prequalify, but have no intention of bidding in the auction, you can follow the Fast-Track Prequalification Process. Click the link for more information.
Eligible Volume determination
The Eligible Volume, which is the maximal volume that can be bid into the Auction, is calculated, by derating the Nominal Reference Power and by removing the Opt-out Volume. The Derating Factors vary per technology and change yearly. This step is performed by (i) Elia or (ii) the DSO if you are DSO connected during the processing of your Prequalification File.
Financial security
The Financial Security is a collateral deposited by participating market parties to cover for non-payment of potential Pre-delivery Penalties. The amount of the guarantees depends on the status of the CMU.
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Guarantee amount depending on CMU status.
CMU status FS in €/MW Existing CMU
10k Additional CMU (other)
11k Additional CMU (new build with Permitting
Milestone achieved or not applicable)
15k Additional CMU (new build without Permitting
Milestone achieved)
20k Virtual CMU 20k
Investment Files
Both Additional and Existing capacities seeking a multi-year contract (lasting up to maximum 3, 8, or 15 years for Additional Capacities and up to 8 years for Existing Capacities) must submit an Investment File to CREG prior to the Auction.
The CREG will review each request and decide on the eligible contract length. Multi-year contracts provide stability, allow bidding up to the Global Auction Price Cap for Additional Capacities.
More information on the Investment Files can be found on the website of the CREG and on the royal decree concerning Investment Files:
