Action required in market communication!
From 1 April 2024, all market partners are obliged to carry out electricity market communication via the AS4 protocol. In addition, contact data for all market roles in the electricity sector will only be exchanged via the EDIFACT format PARTIN from 1 October 2023.
In the new SOPTIM Elements product generation, SOPTIM now offers both an AS4 and a PARTIN solution in the cloud for compliant market communication. Both solutions can be combined with each other and integrate seamlessly into the SOPTIM Elements product world.
Market communication via the AS4 protocol
From 1 April 2024, the Federal Network Agency has decided that key market processes in the electricity sector must be converted to secure market communication via the AS4 protocol. The entirety of electricity market communication will be converted to AS4 in further stages. The standardised technology basis via AS4 is intended to improve the security and data protection of communication processes between the various market participants.
The changeover to AS4 entails a large number of technical and functional requirements. Bidirectional communication channels must be established with each individual communication partner. The associated resources and expenses pose major challenges for market participants.
With a compliant AS4 platform in the cloud, SOPTIM offers customers a proven interface (SFTP) to existing specialist applications, reliable support and an attractive overall package in SOPTIM Elements.
Exchange of contact data
The maintenance of contact persons for market processes and of certificates for email encryption have been causing considerable labour for energy suppliers for years. For this reason, the Federal Network Agency has defined its own market process for the exchange of communication data in the new version of the “GPKE” guidelines (German acronym: business processes for the supply of electricity to customers). Since 1 October 2022, communication data must be exchanged in the new EDIFACT format PARTIN instead of as Excel contact data sheets, as was previously the case. This affects all suppliers, grid operators and metering point operators in the electricity sector.
With the SOPTIM PARTIN solution, SOPTIM customers are optimally equipped for compliant market communication and receive all market role processes from a single source, with a fully automated exchange of contact data in the new SOPTIM Elements product world.
