The synchronous grid of Continental Europe (also known as Continental Synchronous Area; formerly known as the UCTE grid) is the second largest synchronous electrical grid (by connected power) in the world. It is interconnected as a single phase-locked 50 Hz mains frequency electricity grid that supplies over 400 million customers in 24 countries, including most of the European Union. In 2009, 667 GW of production capacity was connected to the grid, providing approximately 80 GW of operating reserve margin. [1] The transmission system operators operating this grid formed the Union for the Coordination of Transmission of Electricity (UCTE), now part of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E).
The synchronous grid of Continental Europe covers territory of the ENTSO-E Continental Europe regional group and some neighboring countries not involved in the ENTSO-E. The synchronous grid includes part or all of Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark (western part), France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Switzerland as a members of the ENTSO-E Continental Europe regional group. In addition to the ENTSO-E members, the small west electricity island of Ukraine is synchronized with the grid of Continental Europe. Albania is operating the national grid synchronously with the synchronous grid of Continental Europe. The grids of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia are synchronised with the European grid through the Gibraltar AC link and form the SWMB. In April 2015, the grid of Turkey was synchronized with the European grid. [2]
Although synchronous, some countries operate in a near island mode, with low connectivity to other countries. The European Commission considers high connectivity to be beneficial, [3] and has listed several interconnection projects as Projects of Common Interest. [4] However, the national grids must also be upgraded to handle increased power flows if the values of a free energy market are to be realised in the EU. [5]
On 16 March 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ENTSO-E set up synchronisation with the networks of Ukraine and Moldova on an emergency basis to provide external support for the power supply in those countries. [6] (Plans for Ukraine to shift from the Russian grid to the European grid were already in progress, with an experimental disconnect from the Russian grid underway when the invasion occurred. [7] ) Power exchange and integration gradually increased, [8] and by August 2022, 400—700 MW were sent from Ukraine to Eastern parts of EU. [9]
This section needs to be updated.(July 2024) |
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2011 interconnection levels, and 2020 plans | |
2019 grid map |
Electricity interconnection as percentage (EIL = electricity interconnection level) of installed electricity production capacity in 2014; the EU goal of at least 10% for 2020, and 15% for 2030. [3]
Alternative formulas for calculating interconnection levels are based on peak load instead of installed capacity. [10]
Some border transmissions, particularly around the Alps, have both high utilization rate and high price difference, implying that further transmission would be beneficial. [11]
Country | EIL 2014 | EIL 2017 | Capacity 2019 [GW] | Peak load 2018 [GW] | Interconnection level with | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Interconnection | Generation | 2002 method | 1st Expert Group's method [10] | ||||
Austria | 29% | 11.8 | 21.3 | 12.1 | 55% | 98% | |
Belgium | 17% | 19% [12] | 8.6 | 23.1 | 13.5 | 37% | 64% |
Bulgaria | 11% | 1.9 | 12.7 | 6.5 | 15% | 29% | |
Croatia | 69% | 3.2 | 5.0 | 3.2 | 64% | 99% | |
Cyprus | 0% | 0.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0% | 0% | |
Czech Republic | 17% | 9.5 | 20.8 | 11.1 | 45% | 85% | |
Denmark | 44% | 51% | 7.4 | 15.9 | 6.1 | 46% | 121% |
Estonia | 1.8 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 65% | 120% | ||
Finland | 30% | 3.9 | 17.3 | 14.2 | 23% | 28% | |
France | 10% | 22.3 | 130.7 | 96.3 | 17% | 23% | |
Germany | 10% | 28.4 | 222.4 | 79.1 | 13% | 36% | |
Greece | 11% | 1.1 | 17.1 | 9.1 | 6% | 12% | |
Hungary | 29% | 6.4 | 9.1 | 6.6 | 70% | 97% | |
Ireland | 9% | 0.5 | 9.8 | 4.9 | 5% | 11% | |
Italy | 7% | 11.0 | 94.4 | 57.6 | 12% | 19% | |
Latvia | 2.0 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 71% | 161% | ||
Lithuania | 2.4 | 3.6 | 2.0 | 67% | 121% | ||
Luxembourg | 245% | 1.1 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 409% | 105% | |
Malta | 0.2 | 0.7 | – | 30% | – | ||
Netherlands | 17% | 18% | 11.2 | 30.5 | 18.5 | 37% | 61% |
Norway | 8.7 | 30.5 | 24.1 | 28% | 36% | ||
Poland | 4% | 6.0 | 42.5 | 24.5 | 14% | 24% | |
Portugal | 7% | 4.0 | 19.6 | 8.7 | 20% | 46% | |
Romania | 7% | 2.2 | 18.8 | 8.9 | 12% | 24% | |
Slovakia | 61% | 5.5 | 7.6 | 4.5 | 73% | 122% | |
Slovenia | 65% | 4.7 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 127% | 199% | |
Spain | 2% | 7.6 | 104.7 | 40.6 | 7% | 19% | |
Sweden | 26% | 12.3 | 40.8 | 27.4 | 30% | 45% | |
Switzerland | 16.8 | 16.1 | 9.8 | 105% | 172% | ||
United Kingdom | 6% | 9.8 GW (2024) [13] | 4.7 | 78.4 | 61.4 | 6% | 16% |
The British grid is not synchronized with the Continental Europe frequency, but it is interconnected using high-voltage direct current (HVDC) via the HVDC Cross-Channel (IFA), BritNed, Nemo Link, IFA-2, North Sea Link, Viking Link and ElecLink links. In 2014, before Nemo Link, IFA-2, ElecLink and North Sea Link became operational, the United Kingdom's electricity interconnection level was 6%. [3]
The networks of Ireland and Northern Ireland form the ENTSO-E Irish regional group, which is not yet interconnected with the Continental Europe grid, but has DC interconnections with the British network through the HVDC Moyle Interconnector and the East–West Interconnector.
Similarly, the Nordic regional group of ENTSO-E (former NORDEL), composed of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the eastern part of Denmark (Zealand with islands and Bornholm), is not synchronized with the Continental Europe, but has a number of non-synchronous DC connections with the Continental Europe grid. Gotland is not synchronized with the Swedish mainland, as it is connected by HVDC.
The network of ENTSO-E Baltic regional group, composed of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, currently part of the IPS/UPS system, is interconnected with the Nordic grid at an electricity interconnection level of 10% through the HVDC Estlink cables and NordBalt cable, which is functioning since 2015. [3] The Baltics are also connected with the Continental Europe grid through the Lithuania–Poland interconnection.
The networks of Iceland and Cyprus are not yet interconnected with the other grids. Malta is connected up to 35% via the Malta-Sicily interconnector, commissioned in 2015.
ENTSO-E is studying the following extensions:
The East–West Interconnector is a 500 MW high-voltage direct current submarine and subsoil power cable from 2012 which connects the Irish and British electricity markets, between Dublin and the Wales/England border. The project was developed by the Irish national grid operator EirGrid.
LitPol Link is an electricity link between Poland and Lithuania which connects the Baltic transmission system to the synchronous grid of Continental Europe. It has a capacity of 500 MW and since 2021 it can operate in a synchronous regime.
ENTSO-E, the European Network of Transmission System Operators, represents 40 electricity transmission system operators (TSOs) from 36 countries across Europe, thus extending beyond EU borders. ENTSO-E was established and given legal mandates by the EU's Third Package for the Internal energy market in 2009, which aims at further liberalising the gas and electricity markets in the EU. Ukrainian Ukrenergo became the 40th member of the association on 1 January 2024.
The SuperSmart Grid (SSG) is a hypothetical wide area electricity network connecting Europe with northern Africa, the Middle East, and the IPS/UPS system of CIS countries. The system would unify super grid and smart grid capabilities into a comprehensive network. There are no planned locations for infrastructure or schedule explicitly for the SSG; the name is used to discuss the economic and technological feasibility of such a network and ways that it might gain political support.
An electrical grid is an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers. Electrical grids consist of power stations, electrical substations to step voltage up or down, electric power transmission to carry power over long distances, and finally electric power distribution to customers. In that last step, voltage is stepped down again to the required service voltage. Power stations are typically built close to energy sources and far from densely populated areas. Electrical grids vary in size and can cover whole countries or continents. From small to large there are microgrids, wide area synchronous grids, and super grids. The combined transmission and distribution network is part of electricity delivery, known as the power grid.
A wide area synchronous grid is a three-phase electric power grid that has regional scale or greater that operates at a synchronized utility frequency and is electrically tied together during normal system conditions. Also known as synchronous zones, the most powerful is the Northern Chinese State Grid with 1,700 gigawatts (GW) of generation capacity, while the widest region served is that of the IPS/UPS system serving most countries of the former Soviet Union. Synchronous grids with ample capacity facilitate electricity trading across wide areas. In the ENTSO-E in 2008, over 350,000 megawatt hours were sold per day on the European Energy Exchange (EEX).
The IPS/UPS is a wide area synchronous transmission grid of some CIS countries, with a common mode of operation and centralized supervisory control. It has an installed generation capacity of 300 gigawatts, and produces 1,200 terawatt-hours (TWh) per year for its 280 million customers. The system spans eight time zones.
A super grid or supergrid is a wide-area transmission network, generally trans-continental or multinational, that is intended to make possible the trade of high volumes of electricity across great distances. It is sometimes also referred to as a "mega grid". Super grids typically are proposed to use high-voltage direct current (HVDC) to transmit electricity long distances. The latest generation of HVDC power lines can transmit energy with losses of only 1.6% per 1,000 km.
The Great Belt power link, also known as the Great Belt electricity link, is a high-voltage direct-current interconnection across the Great Belt between Funen and Zealand connecting two power transmission systems in Denmark.
Burshtyn TPP is a coal-fired power plant of Zakhidenergo located in Ivano-Frankivsk Raion 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south-east from Burshtyn, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine. It was built in the Soviet era and is now part of Rinat Akhmetov's holdings.
Elering AS is a national transmission system operator for electricity and natural gas with headquarters in Tallinn, Estonia. The managing director of Elering is Taavi Veskimägi.
Lithuania is a net energy importer. In 2019 Lithuania used around 11.4 TWh of electricity after producing just 3.6 TWh.
The Great Sea Interconnector, formerly known as the EuroAsia Interconnector is a planned HVDC interconnector between the Greek, Cypriot, and Israeli power grids via the world's longest submarine power cable, with a length of 310 kilometres (190 mi) from Israel to Cyprus and 898 kilometres (558 mi) from Cyprus to Greece for a total of 1,208 kilometres (751 mi).
Litgrid AB is a Lithuanian electricity transmission system operator that operates Lithuania's electricity transmission grid. Litgrid is responsible for the integration of the Lithuanian electricity system into the European electricity infrastructure and the common electricity market.
An interconnector is a structure which enables high voltage DC electricity to flow between electrical grids. An electrical interconnector allows electricity to flow between separate AC networks, or to link synchronous grids. They can be formed of submarine power cables or underground power cables or overhead power lines.
The electrical power grid that powers Northern America is not a single grid, but is instead divided into multiple wide area synchronous grids. The Eastern Interconnection and the Western Interconnection are the largest. Three other regions include the Texas Interconnection, the Quebec Interconnection, and the Alaska Interconnection. Each region delivers power at a nominal 60 Hz frequency.
The National Grid is the high-voltage electricity transmission network in India, connecting power stations and major substations and ensuring that electricity generated anywhere in India can be used to satisfy demand elsewhere. The National Grid is owned, and maintained by state-owned Power Grid Corporation of India and operated by state-owned Power System Operation Corporation. It is one of the largest operational synchronous grids in the world with 417.68 GW of installed power generation capacity as of 31 May 2023.
The Nordic regional group of ENTSO-E is a synchronous electrical grid composed of the electricity grids of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the eastern part of electricity sector in Denmark. The grid is not synchronized with the synchronous grid of Continental Europe, but has a number of non-synchronous DC connections with that as well as other synchronous grids. Gotland is not synchronized with the Swedish mainland either, as it is connected by HVDC.
Ukrenergo is a state-owned electricity transmission system operator in Ukraine and the sole operator of the high-voltage lines which transmit electricity in Ukraine. It is a member of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity.
Baltic states synchronization with UCTE is an international electricity transmission infrastructure project to synchronize the three Baltic states with the Synchronous grid of Continental Europe (UCTE), managed by ENTSO-E, and leave the IPS/UPS transmission system managed by the BRELL agreement. The project is expected to be completed by February 2025.
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