Project Description:

 

The proper functioning of the electricity market is one of the key elements in the energy transition. The client plays a central role in facilitating the market and is responsible, among other things, for numerous services designed to ensure reliable operation of the electricity system. A crucial facilitator is flexibility referring to the extent to which a power system can modify electricity production or consumption in response to variability, expected or otherwise.

 

Within the Customers department, the Flexibility Studies team is responsible to assess flexibility needs and flexibility ressources (storage, generation, demand response) of the system by means. On the one hand, the team quantifies the currently installed, unlocked and available flexibility delivered per technology, voltage level and product type and track progress over time. On the other hand, the team is making future estimations of expected flexibility needs of the system under different scenarios, and this up to 10 years ahead. This activitiy is currently part of our client two-yearly study on Adequacy and Flexibility^[1].

Our client is expected to revise the method and process of the flexibility needs assessment in line with new European legislation and conduct a new assessment by Summer 2026. In view of this new study, the Flexibility Studies team needs to:

 

• coordinate the delivery of a new flexibility study over different departments;
• review and adapt the methodology and process in line with European legislation and methods;
• conduct new calculations on flexibility needs based on these revised methods;
• collaborate with DSOs to account flexibility needs identified for the distribution network;
• align with relevant stakeholders including CREG and Federal Govenement Services;
• align with other TSOs in view of consistency of approach within Europe.

 

The study will focus on preparing the electricity system to cope with variability and uncertainty following a highly renewable electricity system towards 2030 and later. Attention is directed towards the ability to manage periods with excess generation (renewable generation exceeding demand) by shifting demand and storing this energy for use during other moments.

 

The project will be conducted in close collaboration with the scenarios, markets and adequacy department managing the scenarios used for this study, conducting the economic dispatch simulations and conducting analysis on adequacy of the system.

 

Service Description:

 

The client is now looking for an experienced analyst to implement the new Flexibility Needs Assessment (FNA) towards Summer 2026. Within the team (consisting of three junior analysts and a manager) you will contribute to the analysis of flexibility in the system and support with the project management

 

 

• Project management

 

On the one hand, you will also be expected to lead the project management and follow up on the implementation of the FNA study as whole (scope, timing, budget, resources, communication plan), as well as manage the interactions with the involved departments (scenarios, markets and adequacy department but also market development departmens, the system operation department as well with regulatory affairs). The time spend on project management is expected to be 50%. The task concern:

 

• Plan, manage and report on meetings with senior management to ensure validation of the methods, assumptions and results;

 

• Plan, manage and report on meetings with CREG and other Governmental services to facilitate support and approval of the study;

 

• Become the point of contact with DSOs to coordinate on the data and analyses provided by DSOs;

 

• Manage the drafting of the report: provide a table of content and a structured word document, ensure consistency of the document lay-out of text and figures and coordinate timely delivery of the report sections. For this, mastery of word, power point and excel are an absolute must;

 

• Interact with European sector federation of TSOs on best practices in other countries.

 

 

• Analysis of flexibility needs

 

On the other hand, you will contribute and support to the calculations and analyses in the report. The time spend on analysis is expected to be 50%.

 

• Develop assessments on the flexibiltiy needs by analysing and extrapolating historic forecast errors and generation outages

 

• Develop assessments on the available flexibiltiy means in the system based on the technical characteristics of technologies to ramp up or down injections or offtakes in function of prices or other signals.

 

• Determine the uncovered flexibility needs in the system while expressing these results with indicators representing severity, moment and duration of the flexibility shortage.

 

• Process results and insights by means of clear graphical representations. For these analysis, mastery of excel and development of clear eduactional visual representation of results is an absolute must. Experience with other tools such as Python is a plus.

 

• Compile internal information barriers for flexibility in the market and contribution to digitalisation and potential solutions

 

 

 

Required profile

 

• You preferably have a master's degree in engineering, commercial engineering or economics with a large interest in working in a technical environment;

 

• You have a keen interest in the energy sector, understand the global workings of the energy market and preferably have several years of experience in the electricity market.

 

• You have a strong, analytical mind and are able to master and understand complex processes. You are able to translate an abstract strategic objective into realistic solutions.

 

• You are able to translate a question into a quantitative analysis or approach. You are strongly driven by facts and figures and you are able to support your reasoning in a clear way using quantitative results.

 

• You have sufficient knowledge and experience regarding statistical methods (e.g. machine learning) to perform analysis on large data sets ;

 

• You have interest and experience in performing calculations in Excel, and where necessary you are willing to work with Python or similar programming languages. You also have an excellent knowledge of Word, Powerpoint and Outlook.

 

• You can combine different types of tasks (from operational to conceptual) and organize yourself autonomously around different tasks. You can distinguish priorities well.

 

• You learn quickly, with a proactive and positive attitude. You can focus on details without losing sight of the overall picture and deliver flawless work.

 

• You have excellent organizational and project management abilities. You can take steering action within a project, also with a view to concrete implementation. Ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams

 

• You are fluent in English, Dutch or French and have an adequate knowledge of the other languages. You can communicate fluently in English orally and in writing.

 

• like teamwork, you are results-oriented. You possess a fluent communication style.

 

• 3-5 years of relevant experience.