European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity
The Association of European Transmission System Operators ( ENTSO -E short, from English European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity, formerly ETSO for European Transmission System Operators), is an organizational merger of different transmission system operators. Such a transmission system operator shall ensure the transmission of large amounts of electrical energy in the form of three-phase alternating current within an interconnected network and operates to various high voltage power lines on the top transport network level.
The merger of the ENTSO -E does not represent a direct technical merger in the form of a single large interconnected system, since the individual composite networks such as the Central European grid UCTE, the Scandinavian grid Nordel or the Russian grid IPS / UPS can not be connected directly for technical reasons and another are asynchronous. Electrical energy between the various interconnected systems can be replaced in a relatively small extent only by means of direct current in HVDC close couplers ( GKK ), or high-voltage direct current transmission ( HVDC).
Formation
The predecessor of the ENTSO -E was the ETSO. The European Transmission System Operators ( ETSO ) was formed in 1999 as the European Union as part of the creation of a common electricity market from the regional associations TSOI (Ireland), UKTSOA (United Kingdom), Nordel (Scandinavia) and UCTE (Union for the Coordination of Transmission of Electricity ). In the ETSO also members such as Latvia, which are technically in the Russian control zone IPS / UPS. 2001, ETSO has been an international association with 32 members from 15 EU countries plus Norway and Switzerland, later came more full and associate members, especially from Central and Eastern Europe - to date, there are 42 members.
Since 1 July 2009, the association ENTSO -E ( European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity ) has taken over the duties of the ETSO. The trigger was the " Regulation ( EC) No 714 /2009 of 13 July 2009 on access to the network for cross- border exchanges in electricity and repealing Regulation (EC ) No 1228/ 2003" in which the foundation was prescribed - there called " ENTSO ( current) ". In a separate Regulation analogy was the sister organization " ENTSO (gas) ", see ENTSO -G.
Structure
The ENTSO-E main organs are the Assembly and the Steering Committee. The current chairman of the meeting (and thus the ENTSO -E) is the Belgian Daniel Dobbeni. Chairman of the Steering Committee is Pierre Bornand from France. The ENTSO -E also has a general secretariat and numerous working groups on specific topics such as electricity network access, electronic data interchange or electricity prices.
Members
Network expansion
In 2009, the ENTSO -E presented plans for a comprehensive total of 42,100 new line km grid development in Europe. The corresponding lines are to be built until around 2020. It is with them mainly to the Pyrenees between Spain and France cross connections to the north -south connections in Germany, and grid reinforcements around the North Sea to connect the emerging offshore wind farms. More grid reinforcements are planned in Scandinavia.
Network codes
The ENTSO -E reformulated the rules for the operation of the network ( so-called grid codes). The network codes shall determine binding, how and when a system operator may turn down feed end power plants in order to keep the voltage and frequency in the power grid stable. This gives the network operators the opportunity to the energy mix in the pipe network, from the wind farm to the nuclear power plant to adapt to their own needs. You would be so direct control over the utilization of the energy producers and thus the profitability of conventional and alternative energy sources.
The European grid codes are existing with its entry into force national predecessors, such as, for example, largely replace the Network and System Rules of the German Transmission System Operators.
Other activities
- The exchange of quantities of electricity between the members is significant and can be followed via the monthly statistics of the (former ) UCTE. So Austria consumed eg in January 2006 6.407 gigawatt hours of electricity, but produced only 5,250 gigawatt hours ( GWh). Net 1,157 GWh were therefore to be imported. But that does not mean that only current flowed to Austria. It exported a total of 1,260 GWh, ie 754 GWh in Switzerland, Germany 419 GWh, 75 GWh to Italy, 10 GWh to Slovenia and 2 GWh to Hungary. At the same time Austria imported on certain strands and times during the month of January 2757 GWh, 1,706 GWh and indeed from Germany, 631 GWh from the Czech Republic, 222 GWh from Slovenia, 196 GWh from Hungary and 2 GWh from Italy. In January 2006, a total of 25,713 GWh as across state borders within the Western European composite system were replaced, along with the traffic to the external partners 30 173 GWh.
- There are three project groups that consider entering the utilities Turkey, Ukraine and Moldova, and Albania. Turkey is synced since September 2010 in test mode with the grid.
- The ENTSO -E will take care of in addition to the operation of the networks constantly to rules and developments for the safe operation of the networks and power plants, the planning and coordination of extensions and improvements to the network as well as the documentation and planning of interchanges.
Future activities (as of 2012):
- Planned connection of network systems from Libya to Syria and Russia (long-term ) to the European synchronized group, either through synchronous circuit or by HVDC transmission systems.
- Solution of the problems that arise for network operation by the strongly fluctuating supplies of wind power plants. In Denmark, for example, come in January 2006 from the wind power production 410 GWh from 2,649 GWh already total production. In Germany came in January 2006 by 56 824 GWh monthly production only 3,677 GWh from wind turbines, while more than 1,644 GWh of electricity from hydropower plants and 15,225 GWh ( 27%) were produced from nuclear power plants in the same period.