The term load comprises the consumption in the APG control area as a whole, including underlying public grids, grid losses and the consumption of pumped storage power plants. Load is consequently the electric power which has to be covered by power plant feed-ins or imports.
Actual load is usually published continuously with a 2 hour delay and is calculated as follows:
• Imports minus exports
• Plus measured generation
• Plus schedules for generation facilities that do not provide measured data for APG online (predominantly small scale plants)
From 2011 on, the grid area of Tyrol is included in the published load. Since 2012, the APG control area comprises all of Austria with the exception of a corridor in Vorarlberg.