All producers, developers, and operators whose facilities are, or will be, connected to the public electricity distribution network (HTA) or transmission network (HTB) are responsible for ensuring that their installations comply with the technical requirements of Decree n°2008-386 of 23 April 2008, as well as the accompanying orders of the same date, which define the performance standards to be met.
Scope and implications of compliance obligations
These requirements are incorporated into contracts signed with the grid operator, including the technical and financial proposal and the connection agreement. If compliance is not maintained, the grid operator may suspend injection into the network—resulting in an interruption of electricity sales revenues (whether under feed-in tariffs or at market prices).
To avoid this risk, facilities must ensure compliance both during the project planning phase and throughout operation. The grid operator supervises these checks, particularly at commissioning and when installations are returned to service.
What does compliance and performance involve?
Installations must guarantee, among other things, the conformity of their decoupling protection, a maximum level of short-circuit contribution, compatibility of protection systems with the grid, resilience to exceptional frequency and voltage regimes at the delivery point, ability to withstand voltage dips and fluctuations, and compliance with limits on harmonic distortion.
These compliance and performance requirements apply to all facilities connected to the public grid, regardless of energy source (renewable or conventional, wind, photovoltaic, etc.), size, or location. However, the scope of tests, studies, calculations, certifications, and inspections required depends on the network type (transmission or distribution) and the specific situation: initial commissioning, restart after shutdown, restart following substantial modification, periodic checks during operation, or after a malfunction.
How to meet regulatory and contractual obligations effectively?
A first step is to maintain a compliance file archiving all documents related to initial commissioning, restarts after shutdown or modification, periodic checks during operation, and checks following malfunctions.
At these key stages, you are responsible for carrying out specific electrical studies and calculations (including optional simulations), as defined by regulation. These must comply with current standards and rely on both manufacturer data and methodologies established by the grid operator.
You must also collect, review, and verify technical data (equivalent diagrams, electrical characteristics) from equipment manufacturers (inverters, turbines, generators, transformers, switchgear, cables, panels, etc.) as well as from the grid operator (metering data analysis).
Finally, you are required to appoint one or more accredited inspection bodies to perform the inventories, tests, trials, and verifications mandated by regulation.
Managing compliance and performance thus requires both project management capabilities and strong electrical engineering expertise.
Our Services
Zelya Energy supports you at every stage by facilitating the compliance and performance monitoring of your installations.