The RomeFlex project, developed by Areti, a company of the ACEA Group responsible for managing Rome's electricity grid, is now in full swing in Rome. This project aims to create a complete, advanced, and inclusive local flexibility market to serve all users in the capital. The flexibility system regulates the amount of electricity injected into the grid, ensuring that supply matches demand, manages energy flows in terms of production and consumption by individuals or businesses to address supply drops or market demand peaks, thereby optimizing service quality.

Starting February 1, Rome's customers can participate in flexibility services. Areti has launched the activation program for users who won the first term auction of the Local Flexibility Market, held last November by GME (Energy Market Operator) on behalf of Areti. The auction provided flexibility resources totaling 3,000 kW, divided into various types of users (industrial, tertiary, residential) for the period of February–April 2024. The first user activated through the Local Flexibility Market on Rome's distribution network was a 410 kW system at the University of RomaTre. This will be followed by the gradual activation of the service for the remaining approximately seventy users distributed across different neighborhoods in the capital.

The RomeFlex project is carried out with the contribution of Engineering, which developed the IT platforms connecting energy distributors with GME. Siemens also contributed by managing the analysis systems for the network's flexibility needs. The Local Flexibility Market, organized and managed by GME, allows DSOs (Distribution System Operators) to procure flexibility services and remunerate them through transparent and non-discriminatory market mechanisms.

“The launch of flexibility services in Rome – said Giulio Carone, CEO of Areti – is a crucial first step in Areti's strategy to develop smart electricity grids that can interact with the customer, making them increasingly active and engaged in the market. This is what we aim to achieve with the RomeFlex Project, involving every type of customer”.