Who acknowledges BRPs in the Netherlands?

TenneT TSO B.V., the Dutch transmission system operator. Acknowledged BRPs are published in the Staatscourant and listed in the BRP register on TenneT's website.

What is the minimum financial security?

TenneT requires a minimum collateral of EUR 96,000, as a deposit on a dedicated TenneT business account or as a bank guarantee plus a small deposit. TenneT recalculates the required amount every six weeks.

Do I need to register with EDSN?

Only if you are a BRP with grid connections in your portfolio. A trade-only BRP does not register with EDSN.

Can someone else run the IT for me?

Yes. TenneT allows an IT carrier to exchange messages on your behalf. TenneT registers the carrier, and you stay responsible for the data.

Knowledge

How do I become a balance responsible party (BRP) in the Netherlands?

Short answer: You apply to TenneT, pass the IT qualification on TenneT's test platform, put up at least EUR 96,000 in financial security, and pass a production test. TenneT then publishes your acknowledgement in the Staatscourant. There are at least 10 working days between a successful production test and go-live. Most new BRPs plan three to six months in total.

Last updated: 5 October 2026 Author: Rainer Notter, Product Director at Engrate. Based on TenneT's BRP onboarding reader; where it differs from TenneT's current documentation on MyTenneT, TenneT's documentation is leading.

Which kind of BRP do you need?

TenneT knows two BRP products:

BRP with grid connections. You have physical connections in your portfolio: customers, batteries, solar or wind. You also register with EDSN, which runs allocation, reconciliation and metering data (C-ARM) for the Dutch market.
BRP without grid connections, or trade only. You only trade. No EDSN registration, and fewer IT processes to qualify.

Choose this first. It decides which IT processes you test and how long the project takes.

Phase 1: Application

You start with an email to TenneT's system services team. TenneT schedules an onboarding call to walk through the requirements and next steps. Then you send:

The signed Market Role Application Form, signed by someone authorised in your Chamber of Commerce (KvK) extract.
A KvK extract not older than six months.
A 13-digit GLN (EAN code) registered to your company with GS1, plus proof such as the GS1 confirmation or invoice. All messages with TenneT use this code.
Your VAT number and the BRP contact list.

Once approved, TenneT creates a MyTenneT account. Your moderator assigns roles to colleagues there. For cross-border nominations you also need an EIC code, which TenneT issues on request.

Phase 2: IT qualification and testing

This is the longest phase. TenneT's main channel for BRPs is the MMC-hub, a web service with XML messages. The older CPS mailbox with EDINE messages is being phased out.

You need four certificates: a transport (SSL) and a signing (S/MIME) certificate, each for production and for test. You request your web service account with the MMC Hub questionnaire.

Then you qualify on the Test & Qualification Facility (TQF). There you validate messages, run scenarios and qualify, without booking time with TenneT. Mandatory processes:

Nominations Domestic (the energy programme, or E-programme)
Aggregated imbalance information (AIM)
Allocation, only for BRPs with grid connections
Settlement (regular settlement data), only for BRPs with grid connections
Reconciliation, only for BRPs with grid connections
Generation Load (GLDPM), only for BRPs with grid connections

Availability, aFRR and mFRRda are optional. Details on the TenneT BRP qualification test.

Phase 3: Financial security

TenneT opens a dedicated business account in your name at ING. Only TenneT can use it, for your settlement. The minimum collateral is EUR 96,000, as a cash deposit or as a bank guarantee plus a small deposit. Every six weeks TenneT recalculates the required amount, roughly as 2 times your largest daily trade with one counterparty times the average day-ahead price. The collateral must be in place before you can request the production test. Costs in more detail (in Dutch): Wat kost het om programmaverantwoordelijke te worden?

Phase 4: Acknowledgement and go-live

With IT qualified, collateral in place and the BRP agreement signed, you request the production test and send a real E-programme. After that TenneT publishes your acknowledgement in the Staatscourant and adds you to the BRP register. Plan at least 10 working days between the production test and go-live.

From then on, TenneT invoices imbalance weekly, for weeks that run from Saturday to Friday. Reconciliation comes later, based on meter readings from the grid operators.

Do you have to build the IT yourself?

No. TenneT allows an IT carrier to send and receive your messages. TenneT registers the carrier, the carrier provides the transport certificates, and you keep the signing certificates and the responsibility for the data. More on what an IT carrier is.

How Engrate does it

Engrate is a registered IT carrier on the MMC-hub. We set up the certificates with you, run the TQF qualification scenarios for you, and connect nominations, allocation and settlement to your systems through one REST API. Your team works with positions and portfolios, not with XML messages. More on the product: Energy Market Communication.