Local issuing office

With a view to ensuring efficient electronic data exchanges in the Electricity Market, a common standard identification scheme is required.

ENTSO-E (European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity) has defined a uniform coding system and the administrative organisation to manage and maintain this system. ENTSO-E has charged Local Issuing Offices with the allocation and administration of the EIC (ENTSO-E Identification Code).
In France, RTE manages the Local Issuing Office and thus allocates and manages the french EIC codes. ENTSO-E has attributed to the French Local Issuing Office the Office Code "17". Thus, all EIC codes managed by RTE begin by the two characters "17".

This Codes are used by all the french market's players (RTE, Grid Operators, Suppliers, ..). They can also exchange data within the settlement process for Balance Responsible Parties at 1st July 2004.

The identification process works in two parts:

  • Collecting the data that are needed for coding, through an electronic form on RTE's Web site,
  • Publishing on RTE Web site and on ENTSO-E Web site the followed list of data for each player that RTE will have coded:
    • EIC Code,
    • Party Name,
    • Display Name,
    • EIC Parent Code (if exist),
    • EAN Code (if exist),
    • VAT Code,
    • Party Function (Role in the Market)

On RTE Web Site, only the RTE allocated EIC codes are provided. However, additional information on EIC may be found at www.entsoe.net:

  • EIC manual
  • List of Issuing Offices
  • List of all EIC codes for Areas
  • List of all EIC codes for Parties.

A specific information for each player will be send by RTE to present him the suggested codification and other informations about company identification, and to request his agreement.

RTE request each player to use the form provided on the RTE Web site to provide all this informations online (they can used the informations provided by RTE if they are right ; otherwise they have to be corrected on the form) and to validate and submit them by clicking on the "send" button at the bottom of the form.


Local issuing office :