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Matthew Davis edited this page Sep 5, 2024 · 63 revisions

Introduction

The aim of this page is to document each column that nem-data reports with a description of what is measures or means and its units if applicable. These definitions represent a synthesis of publicly available information from AEMO and knowledge gained through active use and analysis of the data sets. This is intended as a living document! Please contribute by updating, correcting and extending the content presented here.

AEMO Columns

These are columns taken directly from AEMO data sets, the names of these columns should not be reused for custom data columns unless their meaning is precisely preserved.

AGCSTATUS

The status of a dispatch unit's automatic governor control, a value of 1 is on, 0 is off, however the column may also contain blank values and this implies off or unavailable for this unit (MMSDM Report). This variable impacts dispatch by determining who is eligible to participate in the regulation markets (FCAS Model in NEMDE).

AGCCAPABILITY

"AGC Capability flag" (MMSDM Report).

Aggregation

Denotes if a dispatch unit consists of a collection of smaller units. Possible values are 'Y' and 'N'.

AVAILABILITY

The maximum capacity that could have been supplied by a dispatch unit during a dispatch interval (MMSDM Report). Units in MW. Documentation on how this number is determined could not found, but it does appear to be a dynamic value e.g. wind and PV availability varies with respect to time.

AVAILABLEGENERATION

The total energy generation bid as available (MMSDM Report). Units in MW.

AVAILABLELOAD

The total energy load bid as available (MMSDM Report). Units in MW.

BANDAVAIL1 to BANDAVAIL10

The capacity bids for the price quantity pairs bid into the market, these can apply to either the energy market or any of the 8 FCAS markets. Units in MW.

BIDTYPE

The market to which a particular bid applies, either the energy market or one of the 8 FCAS markets. Also used in constraint data sets to specify which market a factor in a constraint applies to. Possible values: 'ENERGY', 'RAISEREG', 'LOWERREG', 'RAISE6SEC', 'LOWER6SEC', 'RAISE60SEC', 'LOWER60SEC', 'RAISE5MIN', or 'LOWER5MIN'.

Category

The category of a dispatch unit denotes whether a dispatch unit is a market of non-market unit. Possible values 'Non-Market' or 'Market'.

Classification

The classification of a generator denotes schedule type, possible values are 'Scheduled', 'Non-Scheduled' or 'Semi-Scheduled.

CLEAREDSUPPLY

The total target generation (scheduled and semi-scheduled) and imports (probably with exports included as a negative) for a region at the end of a dispatch interval (MMSDM Report).

CONNECTIONPOINTID

Unique identifier for applying constraint factors, each connection point maps to a dispatch unit, it is unclear if this is a one to one mapping or a one to many mapping. The mapping is set out in the 'DUDETAILSUMMARY' table.

CONSTRAINTID

The unique constraint identifiers, this name only applies to the 'DISPATCHCONSTRAINT' table, in other tables the same values are given the name 'GENCONID', it is unclear why this difference exists.

CONSTRAINTTYPE

The inequality type of the constraint. Possible values: '=', '>=', '<=' (MMSDM Report).

CONSTRAINTVALUE

The RHS value of a constraint.

DEMAND_AND_NONSCHEDGEN

Total of target scheduled generation (think this includes semi-scheduled), imports (think this includes exports as a negative) and non-scheduled generation (MMSDM Report).

DEMANDFORECAST

"5 min forecast adjust" (MMSDM Report). From (Demand Terms in EMMS Data Model):

The Demand Forecast is a 5-minute demand adjustment (Offset) that attempts to relate the demand at the beginning of a dispatch interval (Initial Supply) to the demand at the end (Cleared Supply) of the trading interval. From 1 October 2021 the National Electricity Amendment (Five Minute Settlement) Rule 2017 No.15, in conjunction with the National Electricity Amendment (Delayed implementation of five minute and global settlement) Rule 2020 No.10, changes the definition of a dispatch interval to a trading interval, but it will still be five minutes long

DESCRIPTION

"Details of the plant that is not in service" (MMSDM Report).

DISPATCH

Used as a flag to indicate if a constraint is used for dispatch runs of NEMDE, 0 if not used, 1 if used (MMSDM Report).

Dispatch Type

Denotes if a dispatch unit is generator or load. Possible values: 'Generator', 'Load'.

(Note that the Basslink HVDC link from TAS1 to VIC1 is listed by AEMO in Generators and Scheduled Loads as a "Generator". The other interconnectors are not listed.)

DISPATCHTYPE

Same as above, except this name applies inside the MMS (MMSDM Report). Possible values are 'GENERATOR' and 'LOAD'.

DISPATCHABLEGENERATION

The total dispatched generation for a region. Units in MW. (MMSDM Report).

DISPATCHABLELOAD

The total dispatched load for a region. Units in MW. (MMSDM Report).

DISPATCHMODE

The operational mode for fast start dispatch units (MMSDM Report). Possible values: empty, 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4. A empty value means the dispatch unit is not operating as a fast start generator. Information on the meaning of the operating modes is available here (Fast Start Inflexibility Profile – Process Description).

DISTRIBUTIONLOSSFACTOR

"The distribution loss factor to the currently assigned connection point" (MMSDM Report).

DUID

The unique identifier for dispatch units.

EFFECTIVEDATE

The time a which a record starts to apply, a record may exist before this date but should not effect the dispatch process.

ELEMENTNAME

The name AEMO gives an element it is measuring for the purposes of fcas causer pays calculation. Note this column name is nem-data specific name as AEMO publishes the original data file with no header.

ELEMENTNUMBER

The number AEMO gives an element it is measuring for the purposes of fcas causer pays calculations. This number allows for matching between the 'ELEMENTS_FCAS_4_SECOND' table and the 'FCAS_4_SECOND' table. Note this column name is nem-data specific name as AEMO publishes the original data file with no header.

ELEMENTTYPE

The type of element being measured for the purposes of fcas causer pays calculations. Possible values are 'GEN', 'SYSTEM', 'LOAD', 'INTERCONNECTOR' or 'AGC'. Note it would appear the interpretation of these values is not straight forward with some 'GEN' types appearing to be dispatch units that are actually loads. While the only elements that appear as type 'LOAD' are potlines. Note this column name is nem-data specific name as AEMO publishes the original data file with no header.

ENABLEMENTMAX

The maximum energy dispatch value at which the corresponding FCAS bid will have a non zero availability (GUIDE TO ANCILLARY SERVICES IN THE NATIONAL ELECTRICITY MARKET).

ENABLEMENTMIN

The minimum energy dispatch value at which the corresponding FCAS bid will have a non zero availability (GUIDE TO ANCILLARY SERVICES IN THE NATIONAL ELECTRICITY MARKET).

END_DATE

Time at which the record topped applying (MMSDM Report).

EXCESSGENERATION

"MW quantity of excess" (MMSDM Report).

FACTOR

The constraint matrix coefficient used for the given variable in the given constraint.

Fuel Source - Descriptor

More detailed of the two fuel source columns, i.e. narrower categories.

Null values ('', '-') are for pumped hydro and batteries (and Basslink). Although many batteries also appear with Grid in this field. (And Hornsdale battery appears with "Wind" as the fuel source.)

Fuel Source - Primary

Less detailed of the two fuel source columns, i.e. broader categories.

GENCONID

The unique identifier for generic constraints applied to the dispatch of the NEM. This is column name used for these values in most tables except 'DISPATCHCONSTRAINT'.

GENCONID_EFFECTIVEDATE

The column name for the EFFECTIVEDATE values in the 'DISPATCHCONSTRAINT' table. The purpose of this specific naming appears to be to clarify that these effective dates do not apply to the records of the 'DISPATCHCONSTRAINT' table but rather to the records of the 'GENCONDATA' table.

GENCONID_VERSIONNO

The column name for the VERSIONNO values in the 'DISPATCHCONSTRAINT' table. The purpose of this specific naming appears to be to clarify that these version numbers do not apply to the records of the 'DISPATCHCONSTRAINT' table but rather to the records of the 'GENCONDATA' table.

GENERICCONSTRAINTWEIGHT

The weighting factor for generic constraint penalties (MMSDM Report). Generic constraints are elastic constraints, meaning they can be violated, however this violation comes at a cost in the objective function. The cost is determined as the GENERICCONSTRAINTWEIGHT multiplied by the MARKET PRICE CAP multiplied by the VIOLATION DEGREE (Constraint Formulation Guidelines).

HIGHBREAKPOINT

The energy dispatch point at which the upper slop of the FCAS trapezium begins to curtail the maximum dispatch of the corresponding FCAS service. Units in MW.

INITIALMW

The actual output (or consumption for loads) of a dispatch unit at the beginning of a 5 min dispatch interval. (MMSDM Report)

INITIALSUPPLY

The total output from scheduled and semi-scheduled generators and imports (probably including exports as a negative) at the start of a 5 min dispatch interval (MMSDM Report).

INTERCONNECTORID

The unique identifier for an interconnector in the NEM (MMSDM Report). The values are defined in the INTERCONNECTOR table.

INTERVAL_DATETIME

The 5 min dispatch interval that a capacity bid will apply to (MMSDM Report). It is unclear why this column name is used instead of 'SETTELMENTDATE' which is used to record the dispatch interval in most other tables.

INTERVENTION

For dispatch intervals where an intervention occurred there will be a record with the INTERVENTION column equal to 1, and a record with INTERVENTION equal to 0. The '1' record refers to the dispatch run used to determine the physical dispatch targets for units and the '0' record refers to the dispatch run used to determine pricing.

LASTCHANGED

The date time when this record was last changed (MMSDM Report).

LHS

The actual sum of the left hand side of a dispatch constraint for a corresponding dispatch interval (MMSDM Report).

LIMITTYPE

"The limit type of the constraint e.g. Transient Stability, Voltage Stability" (MMSDM Report).

LOWBREAKPOINT

The energy dispatch point at which the lower slop of the FCAS trapezium begins to curtail the maximum dispatch of the corresponding FCAS service. Units in MW.

LOWER5MIN

The volume of the LOWER5MIN FCAS service a dispatch unit is enabled for in a 5 min dispatch interval. Units in MW.

LOWER5MINLOCALDISPATCH

The volume of the LOWER5MIN FCAS service enabled in a region for a 5 min dispatch interval. Units in MW.

LOWER5MINRRP

The price at the regional reference node for the LOWER5MIN FCAS service. Units in $ per MW per h. Actual price seen by dispatch units after any adjustments (MMSDM Report).

LOWER60SEC

The volume of the LOWER60SEC FCAS service a dispatch unit is enabled for in a 5 min dispatch interval. Units in MW.

LOWER60SECLOCALDISPATCH

The volume of the LOWER60SEC FCAS service enabled in a region for a 5 min dispatch interval. Units in MW.

LOWER60SECRRP

The price at the regional reference node for the LOWER60SEC FCAS service. Units in $ per MW per h. Actual price seen by dispatch units after any adjustments (MMSDM Report).

LOWER6SEC

The volume of the LOWER6SECFCAS service a dispatch unit is enabled for in a 5 min dispatch interval. Units in MW.

LOWER6SECLOCALDISPATCH

The volume of the LOWER6SEC FCAS service a dispatch unit is enabled for in a 5 min dispatch interval. Units in MW.

LOWER6SECRRP

The price at the regional reference node for the LOWER6SEC FCAS service. Units in $ per MW per h. Actual price seen by dispatch units after any adjustments (MMSDM Report).

LOWERREG

The volume of the LOWERREG FCAS service a dispatch unit is enabled for in a 5 min dispatch interval. Units in MW.

LOWERREGLOCALDISPATCH

The volume of the LOWERREG FCAS service enabled in a region for a 5 min dispatch interval. Units in MW.

LOWERREGRRP

The price at the regional reference node for the LOWERREG FCAS service. Units in $ per MW per h. Actual price seen by dispatch units after any adjustments (MMSDM Report).

MARGINALVALUE

"$ Value of binding constraint" (MMSDM Report). Consider using this value with caution, unclear if AEMO uses the same pricing methodology for constraints as 'marginal load'.

MAXAVAIL

The cap on the dispatch a service dispatch units submit with their capacity bids, this over rides the total capacity of the bids provided. Units in MW.

MAXCAPACITY

"Maximum Capacity as used for bid validation" (MMSDM Report).

MAX_RAMP_RATE_DOWN

"Maximum ramp up rate for Unit (Mw/min)- from DUDetail table" (MMSDM Report).

MAX_RAMP_RATE_UP

"Maximum ramp down rate for Unit (Mw/min) - from DUDetail table" (MMSDM Report).

METEREDMWFLOW

"Metered MW Flow from SCADA." (MMSDM Report)

MWFLOW

"Target MW Flow for next 5 mins." (MMSDM Report)

MWLOSSES

"Calculated MW Losses" (MMSDM Report)

Note that there are records with all 4 pairings of negative/positive MWLOSSES and negative/positive MWFLOW.

MTPASA

Flags if constraints are enabled for MTPASA runs of NEMDE, values of 1 for enabled and 0 for not enabled. (MMSDM Report)

NAME

Appears to have originally contained the names of market or network objects that FCAS elements mapped to, however these names seem to have been replaced with generic name types. Possible values are 'MMS MarketName', '* No MarketName *' or 'MarketName'.

NETINTERCHANGE

The sum of imports and exports for a region including losses, i.e. in a two region system with power flowing between the regions the sum of the NETINTERCHANGE for the two regions would equal the losses due to power flow on the interconnetor. Interestingly when a total loss value for the NEM is derived by summing all NETINTERCHANGE values the result is different from summing the LOSSES from the 'DISPATCHINTERCONNECTOR' table. Although it is not explicitly stated this may be due to the fact that NETINTERCHANGE is derived by averaging flows across and interval and LOSSES is derived from the dispatch targets for the end of the interval. Units in MW. (MMSDM Report)

NORMALLYONFLAG

"For a dispatchable load indicates that the load is normally on or off" (MMSDM Report).

OFFERDATE

The date time a bid was submitted.

Participant

The name of the participant who owns the corresponding dispatch unit.

PARTICIPANTID

The unique identifier for a participant.

PREDISPATCH

Flags if constraints are enabled for PREDISPATCH runs of NEMDE, values of 1 for enabled and 0 for not enabled. (MMSDM Report)

PRICE_STATUS

"Status of regional prices for this dispatch" (MMSDM Report).

PRICEBAND1 to PRICEBAND10

The price bids for the capacity quantity pairs bid into the market, these can apply to either the energy market or any of the 8 FCAS markets. Units in $ per MW per h. These are loss factor adjusted.

RAISE5MIN

The volume of the RAISE5MIN FCAS service a dispatch unit is enabled for in a 5 min dispatch interval. Units in MW.

RAISE5MINLOCALDISPATCH

The volume of the RAISE5MIN FCAS service enabled in a region for a 5 min dispatch interval. Units in MW.

RAISE5MINRRP

The price at the regional reference node for the RAISE5MIN FCAS service. Units in $ per MW per h. Actual price seen by dispatch units after any adjustments (MMSDM Report).

RAISE60SEC

The volume of the RAISE60SEC FCAS service a dispatch unit is enabled for in a 5 min dispatch interval. Units in MW.

RAISE60SECLOCALDISPATCH

The volume of the RAISE60SEC FCAS service enabled in a region for a 5 min dispatch interval. Units in MW.

RAISE60SECRRP

The price at the regional reference node for the RAISE60SEC FCAS service. Units in $ per MW per h. Actual price seen by dispatch units after any adjustments (MMSDM Report).

RAISE6SEC

The volume of the RAISE6SEC FCAS service a dispatch unit is enabled for in a 5 min dispatch interval. Units in MW.

RAISE6SECLOCALDISPATCH

The volume of the RAISE6SEC FCAS service enabled in a region for a 5 min dispatch interval. Units in MW.

RAISE6SECRRP

The price at the regional reference node for the RAISE6SEC FCAS service. Units in $ per MW per h. Actual price seen by dispatch units after any adjustments (MMSDM Report).

RAISEREG

The volume of the RAISEREG FCAS service a dispatch unit is enabled for in a 5 min dispatch interval. Units in MW.

RAISEREGLOCALDISPATCH

The volume of the RAISEREG FCAS service enabled in a region for a 5 min dispatch interval. Units in MW.

RAISEREGRRP

The price at the regional reference node for the RAISEREG FCAS service. Units in $ per MW per h. Actual price seen by dispatch units after any adjustments (MMSDM Report).

RAMPDOWNRATE

The rate a which a dispatch unit can lower its power output. This can either be a value submitted as part of a bid or refer to a telemetered value, the lower of the two values is used in dispatch and these are given in the 'DISPATCHLOAD' table. (MMSDM Report). Units in MW per h for bids, but MW/minute for tables like DISPATCHLOAD.

RAMPUPRATE

The rate a which a dispatch unit can increase its power output. This can either be a value submitted as part of a bid or refer to a telemetered value, the lower of the two values is used in dispatch and these are given in the 'DISPATCHLOAD' table (MMSDM Report). Units in MW per h for bids, but MW/minute for tables like DISPATCHLOAD.

REASON

"The contingency or reason for the constraint" (MMSDM Report).

Region

The column that provides dispatch unit's region id's in the Master Registration List.

REGIONID

The unique identifier for regions in the NEM. For current records the possible values are 'QLD1', 'NSW1', 'VIC1', 'SA1' and 'TAS1'.

REGISTEREDCAPACITY

"Registered capacity for normal operations" (MMSDM Report).

RHS

The right hand side value for generic constraints. Note the value may differ from 'GENCONDATA' to 'DISPATCHCONSTRAINT' as some constraints have their RHS value adjusted in each interval e.g. FCAS constraints that depend on load relief (Constraint Formulation Guidelines).

RRP

The price at the regional reference node for the ENERGY service. Units in $ per MW per h. Actual price seen by dispatch units after any adjustments (MMSDM Report).

RUNNO

The dispatch run number, should always be 1 in tables provided by nem-data (MMSDM Report).

SCADAVALUE

"Instantaneous MW reading from SCADA at the start of the Dispatch interval" (MMSDM Report).

SCHEDULE_TYPE

The schedule type, possible values are 'SCHEDULED', 'NON-SCHEDULED' or 'SEMI-SCHEDULED' (MMSDM Report).

SEMIDISPATCHCAP

Flag for semi-scheduled unit for if there capacity is capped by their dispatch target (TOTALCLEARED) (MMSDM Report). Possible values: 0 if uncapped, 1 if capped.

SEMISCHEDULE_CLEAREDMW

"Regional aggregated Semi-Schedule generator Cleared MW" (MMSDM Report). Phrasing with "Cleared" suggests this refers to the target MW output rather than the actual.

SEMISCHEDULE_COMPLIANCEMW

"Regional aggregated Semi-Schedule generator Cleared MW where SemiDispatch cap is enforced" (MMSDM Report).

SETTLEMENTDATE

The date time to which a record applies, this can refer to a day, a half hour period or a 5 min period. This is the date time at the end of the period. All times are market time (AEST). (Guide to Mis-Pricing Information)

Station Name

The name of the station to which a dispatch unit belongs.

STATIONID

The unique identifier for a station.

START_DATE

The time from which a record applies, similar to EFFECTIVEDATE (MMSDM Report).

STARTTYPE

Unit start type, fast start plants can submit dispatch inflexibility profiles. Possible values 'FAST', 'SLOW' or 'NOT DISPATCHED'. (MMSDM Report)

STPASA

Flags if constraints are enabled for STPASA runs of NEMDE, values of 1 for enabled and 0 for not enabled. (MMSDM Report)

T1

The length of time a fast start unit needs between receiving a dispatch instruction and being dispatch. Units in min.(Fast Start Inflexibility Profile – Process Description)(MMSDM Report)

T2

The length of time a fast start unit needs to ramp up to minimum load. Units in min.(Fast Start Inflexibility Profile – Process Description)(MMSDM Report)

T3

The minimum time a fast start unit must spend at or above its minimum load. Units in min.(Fast Start Inflexibility Profile – Process Description)(MMSDM Report)

T4

The length time a fast start unit needs to ramp down from minimum load. Units in min.(Fast Start Inflexibility Profile – Process Description)(MMSDM Report)

Technology Type - Descriptor

The technology the dispatch unit is using, broader category.

Technology Type - Primary

The technology the dispatch unit is using, narrower category.

TIMESTAMP

The time to which an FCAS 4 second value applies. Note this is a nem-data name not an AEMO name, as the raw data is provided without headers.

TOTALCLEARED

The energy dispatch target for the end of the dispatch period for a dispatch unit. Units in MW. (MMSDM Report)

TOTALDEMAND

Regional demand, not including load from dispatch units. (MMSDM Report)

TOTALINTERMITTENTGENERATION

"Allowance made for non-scheduled generation in the demand forecast (MW)". (MMSDM Report)

TRANSMISSIONLOSSFACTOR

"The transmission level loss factor for currently assigned connection point" (MMSDM Report).

UIGF

"Regional aggregated Unconstrained Intermittent Generation Forecast of Semischeduled generation (MW)". (MMSDM Report)

VALUE

The measured value in 4 second FCAS data. Note this is a nem-data name not an AEMO name, as the raw data is provided without headers.

VALUEQUALITY

The measured value in 4 second FCAS data. Note this is a nem-data name not an AEMO name, as the raw data is provided without headers.

VARIABLENUMBER

Unique identifier used for variable type in the FCAS 4 second data. Note this is a nem-data name not an AEMO name, as the raw data is provided without headers.

VARIABLETYPE

The type of measurement that an FCAS variable number refers to. Possible values are available through the reference. Note this is a nem-data name not an AEMO name, as the raw data is provided without headers. (ANCILLARY SERVICES MARKET CAUSER PAYS DATA)

VERSIONNO

The version number of a record applies after EFFECTIVEDATE i.e. effective data is first used to distinguish between versions and then if two records have the same EFFECTIVEDATE then version number is used. (MMSDM Report)

VIOLATIONDEGREE

The degree to which a constraint is violated. (MMSDM Report)

Custom Data Columns

Columns used in custom data sets available as tables in nem-data.

References

MMSDM Report:

http://nemweb.com.au/Data_Archive/Wholesale_Electricity/MMSDM/2018/MMSDM_2018_05/MMSDM_Historical_Data_SQLLoader/DOCUMENTATION/MMS%20Data%20Model/v4.27/MMS%20Data%20Model%20Report.pdf

FCAS Model in NEMDE:

https://www.aemo.com.au/-/media/Files/Electricity/NEM/Security_and_Reliability/Dispatch/Policy_and_Process/2017/FCAS-Model-in-NEMDE.pdf

Fast Start Inflexibility Profile – Process Description:

https://aemo.com.au/-/media/files/electricity/nem/security_and_reliability/dispatch/policy_and_process/fast-start-unit-inflexibility-profile.pdf

Guide to Ancillary Services in the National Electricity Market:

http://www.aemo.com.au/Electricity/National-Electricity-Market-NEM/Security-and-reliability/Ancillary-services

Constraint Formulation Guidelines:

http://www.aemo.com.au/-/media/Files/Electricity/NEM/Security_and_Reliability/Congestion-Information/2016/Constraint_Formulation_Guidelines_v10_1.pdf

ANCILLARY SERVICES MARKET CAUSER PAYS DATA

https://www.aemo.com.au/Electricity/National-Electricity-Market-NEM/Data/Ancillary-Services/Ancillary-Services-Market-Causer-Pays-Data

Guide to Mis-Pricing Information

https://www.aemo.com.au/-/media/Files/Stakeholder_Consultation/Consultations/NEM-Consultations/2019/Dispatch/Guide-to-Mis-Pricing-Information.pdf

Demand Terms in EMMS Data Model

https://aemo.com.au/-/media/files/electricity/nem/security_and_reliability/dispatch/policy_and_process/demand-terms-in-emms-data-model.pdf

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