By: Utilities Middle east

As power systems increase the share of wind and solar, real-time dispatching becomes more demanding. Variable renewables can change output quickly, and many inverter-based resources contribute less inherent “buffer” (inertia and fault strength) than traditional synchronous generation. In this context, ancillary services, the set of capabilities that keep frequency and voltage within limits and restore the system after disturbances, move from being a supporting feature to a core requirement for secure operation.

Key ancillary services include frequency containment and restoration reserves, fast frequency response, ramping and contingency reserves, reactive power and voltage control, and black-start readiness. With high renewable penetration, the value of speed and precision increases: reserves must be activated faster, procured closer to real time, and located where they are most effective. Batteries, demand response, flexible generation, and advanced inverter functions can all contribute, provided their performance is specified clearly and verified through testing and monitoring.

For the Gulf region, the topic is timely. Electricity demand growth, strong seasonal peaks, and rapid clean-energy deployment mean system operators need robust balancing arrangements that can handle both variability and extreme operating conditions. Establishing transparent requirements and procurement mechanisms for ancillary services can reduce curtailment, strengthen resilience, and avoid overbuilding conventional capacity purely for security margins.

CESI has been facilitating the evolution of the ancillary services framework in the Gulf, and has long supported utilities and system operators through grid integration and stability studies, operational assessments, and specification work for flexibility resources. That experience highlights a practical takeaway: reliable high-renewables operation depends not only on adding generation, but on ensuring the dispatch toolbox, ancillary services, controls, and compliance processes, evolve at the same pace.