Evaluating Non-Discrimination Obligation in Implementing Congestion Management Measures in Electrical Distribution Systems

The increasing electrification of transport and heating sectors, alongside the rise of distributed renewable energy generation, is causing significant changes in electrical distribution grids, leading to more frequent congestion. To address this, congestion management strategies are essential to ensure grid stability while complying with the regulatory obligations of non-discrimination. However, the lack of clear definitions and standardized methodologies for evaluating non-discrimination in designing and implementing congestion management remains a critical gap. In this paper, a comprehensive framework is proposed to define and evaluate non-discrimination principles in congestion management measures. A novel indicator-based methodology is introduced that considers the customer’s individual characteristics together with the curtailments to quantify systematic inequalities in the treatment of customers. The proposed methodology is validated with a case study utilizing two congestion management approaches, where flexible appliances are curtailed proportionally or with equal shares in case of congestion. Results demonstrate the framework’s ability to identify discriminatory practices, providing valuable insights for fulfilling the requirement of non-discrimination in congestion management strategies in future grid operations.