EPDK Mandates Automated Power Controls for Consumer Storage

The Turkish energy market regulator, EPDK, has introduced mandatory operational requirements for consumers deploying energy storage facilities. Under the ruling, behind-the-meter storage installations with an installed capacity exceeding the site’s agreed connection capacity must incorporate an automatic power control unit alongside a fail-safe energy disconnection system.

The measure addresses technical challenges arising from behind-the-meter battery installations at industrial and commercial sites. Many industrial facilities install storage to capture off-peak electricity, support onsite renewable generation, or manage demand peaks. When the total inverter rating of the battery exceeds the agreed substation import or export limit, uncontrolled charging or discharging can push local distribution substations beyond their designed thermal and fault limits. Reverse power flows through step-down transformers can cause voltage elevation, harmonic distortion, and nuisance tripping of upstream utility protection relays.

By enforcing automated active power control, the regulator requires battery storage controllers to dynamically throttle charging and discharging rates in real time. The control loop must ensure that net power exchange at the point of common coupling never breaches the contractual allowance. The accompanying disconnection system provides a hard fail-safe: if the dynamic control unit malfunctions or communication between power meters and inverters fails, the system must trigger breaker operation to isolate the storage unit or the facility before the network experiences uncontrolled power surges.

For substation engineers, EPC contractors, and plant electrical managers, this regulatory change requires close attention to protection coordination and switchgear duty cycles. Control panels must integrate high-speed directional power metering with battery management systems, while secondary tripping circuits must be tested to ensure rapid, dependable fault clearance. Engineers must also design these systems to avoid rapid cycling or hunting between control thresholds, which could otherwise accelerate mechanical wear on switchgear operating mechanisms.

What this means for asset owners in Türkiye: Industrial consumers and private substation operators in Türkiye integrating battery storage must re-evaluate protection schemes and secondary control panels. Failing to integrate reliable automatic power limitation introduces severe outage risks, as automated disconnection systems will directly trip site breakers whenever power flows breach contracted thresholds during operational upsets.