AESO Operating Reserves Program Guidelines

The AESO Operating Reserves Program (AESO OR) allows customers to get paid for agreeing to reduce electricity usage when called upon by AESO. Customers choose to offer into the market on a day-ahead basis and must implement their energy reduction plan within 10 minutes when notified of an AESO directive via Enel’s automated system. Below is description of the process.

24/7 Operations AESO Hotline - If you are unable to participate during an active directive
Phone - 617-535-7361
Email - [e-mail]

1. Establish Default Offer Parameters and Schedule

Upon enrollment in AESO OR, the customer and Enel X establish a default schedule of offer parameters including:

• On-Peak hours (7 am– 11 pm MPT) or Off-Peak hours (11 pm – 7 am MPT) or both
• Days of the week (Monday through Sunday)
• MW Commitment

2. Review the Daily Offer Email 

This email includes the market offer status for the current day as well as information about planned offers for the next 5 days. Market offers may fluctuate by a few kW based on Enel's total zonal commitment to ensure compliance with the program. At times, your offer may be listed as zero kW due to platform maintenance, mandatory compliance opt outs or low-level megawatt acceptance by the AESO. 

See the example below:

If the parameters listed in the email are correct, no action is needed. If you need to opt out, opt in, or change your commitment, reply to the email before the following deadlines:

Day	Deadline for updating offers
Monday	Previous Friday 8 AM MPT
Tuesday	Monday 8 AM MPT
Wednesday	Tuesday 8 AM MPT
Thursday	Wednesday 8 AM MPT
Friday	Thursday 8 AM MPT
Saturday	Friday 8 AM MPT
Sunday	Friday 8 AM MPT
Monday Holidays	Previous Friday 8 AM MPT

Request changes to your participation by emailing Enel at [e-mail]. Each change will be confirmed by Enel once received. Your payments may be impacted if Enel is not aware of an offer change prior to the deadlines listed above.

Notify Enel of an Outage at your Facility

Enel must be aware of changes to customer energy usage to ensure compliance with AESO.

• Scheduled Outage: notify Enel before the deadlines in the table above by phone at [phone] or by email to [e-mail].
• Unscheduled Outage: notify Enel by phone as soon as you are aware of the change in your electric load. Your payments will be negatively impacted if AESO calls a directive and Enel is not aware of an outage.
• Failure to notify us may lead to long term opt outs and risk your future participation in AESO programs.

3. Respond to an AESO Directive

When AESO issues a directive, you will receive automated notifications from Enel. Communications arrive by phone, text message and email and can be confirmed in any form. If you do not confirm, you will receive another set of follow-up notifications. You will need to begin implementing your energy reduction plan immediately upon receipt of notifications. 

• To confirm by phone, follow the verbal prompts
• To confirm by email, click the link in the email.
• To confirm by text message, reply YES to the notification.

If you are unable to participate during an active directive, call the Enel Control Room immediately by calling [phone].

If you have general questions related to your AESO participation, please contact our Support team via one of the following channels:

• Chat for immediate assistance
• Email: [e-mail] 
• Phone: [phone]

4. Resume Normal Operations

At the end of an AESO Directive, you will receive the final notifications from Enel. Upon receipt, you may restore normal operations. Directives usually last 10-60 minutes. If you are unable to restore: notify Enel immediately by calling [phone].

For a complete set of ISO rules, visit the AESO Rules, Standards, and Tariffs page.