New 50Hertz CEO takes up duties

03.12.2019

On 1 December, Stefan Kapferer took office as the new chairman of the executive board of TSCNET shareholder 50Hertz, one of the four German transmission system operators (TSOs). Until the end of October 2019, Kapferer headed the German Energy and Water Association (Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft – BDEW). Kapferer succeeds interim CEO Dr. Frank Golletz, CTO of 50Hertz, who took over the additional duties after former CEO Boris Schucht had left the company in March 2019.

At a purpose-arranged press conference on 3 December in the German capital Berlin, Stefan Kapferer acknowledged the appeal and diversity of his new task. “The next phase of the realisation of the energy transition is an even greater challenge in terms of entrepreneurship and the European side of things. TSOs play an essential role here,” explained Kapferer. The main issues to be dealt with by 50Hertz are the German coal phase-out, following the current nuclear phase-out, the national legislative climate specifications and the grid extension which is essential for all these measures. For a Baltic Sea riparian TSO, it is particularly important to set the right course for the development of offshore wind energy.

Chris Peeters, head of the 50Hertz supervisory board, highlighted Kapferer’s wealth of political and international experience as former German State Secretary and Deputy Secretary General of the OECD and concluded: “I am convinced that Kapferer’s skills combined with the technical know-how of our staff will result in a great future for 50Hertz. Together we work for our goal: a successful energy transition.”

Stefan Kapferer is in office as new CEO of 50Hertz (picture: 50Hertz / Jan Pauls)

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> See 50Hertz press release (html)

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Swift progress for new 50Hertz overhead line

29.11.2019

This May, TSCNET shareholder 50Hertz, one of the four German transmission system operators (TSOs), started the construction of the first section of the 380kV Perleberg-Wolmirstedt overhead line. The new line will connect the Perleberg substation in Brandenburg with the Wolmirstedt substation in Saxony-Anhalt over a distance of 106km and replace the existing 220kV line from the 1950s. This grid extension is intended to ensure that the increasing quantities of regionally generated electricity from renewable sources are also available to consumers in southern and western Germany.

The first construction phase with 87 pylons and a length of 37km stretches between the substations Stendal West and Wolmirstedt. Construction work is progressing rapidly. More than half of the pylons have now been erected and some masts have already been fitted with power cables. Construction should be completed by mid-March next year.

50Hertz has already erected 48 pylons of the Perleberg-Wolmirstedt overhead line (picture of the substation Wolmirstedt: Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg)

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> See 50Hertz press release, in German (html)

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Winter outlook: RSC monitoring for supply security

28.11.2019

Every year at the end of November, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) publishes its supply security forecast for the coming winter season. Like its predecessors, Winter Outlook 2019/2020 is a concise document that provides valuable information on where bottlenecks are most likely to occur, or which are the main risks to the security of the pan-European electrical transmission system. The Outlook forecasts have been carefully calculated on the basis of a comprehensive database to provide a reliable risk assessment for the next European electricity winter.

The main positive message is that general European security of supply is ensured under normal conditions. Nevertheless, the Outlook indicates that in the event of cold spells, i.e. temperatures 10 degrees below average, combined with unforeseen outages and low renewable generation, there are potential risks in Belgium and France in January 2020. Under these extreme conditions, both countries would be heavily dependent on imports and in some cases on available out-of-market measures. Furthermore, close monitoring would be required, and ENTSO-E explicitly requests in such cases the support of regional security coordinators (RSCs), such as the Munich-based TSCNET Services.

As usual, ENTSO-E presents the Winter Outlook together with the Summer Review 2019, an overview of last summer’s events. Some heat waves were registered, but without any impact on the power supply.

ENTSO-E has released the Winter Outlook 2019/2020 (picture: TenneT)

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> See ENTSO-E press release (html)
> Visit ENTSO-E seasonal outlook site (html)
> Open Winter Outlook 2019/2020 (pdf, 7.14MB)

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Honourable move to the Swiss customer

25.11.2019

While around 150,000 people with Portuguese citizenship live in Germany, almost twice as many live in the much smaller country of Switzerland. Usually we do not have the slightest problem with this at TSCNET Services in Munich, but now another Portuguese is moving to Switzerland, whom we will miss very much here as a first-class employee and great co-worker: Mário Martins, Senior Business Analyst in our Service Development Business Unit. He will join our client and shareholder Swissgrid and work in Aarau 38 km west of Zurich as a specialist for Capacity & Congestion Management. Chances are good that he will be collaborating with his former colleagues from TSCNET there, so “it’s not a goodbye, but a see you later,” Mário assures with a smile.

“I thank TSCNET and its employees for almost 5 wonderful years in this company,” Mário continues. “It is a great organisation to work in, and I am sure it will remain on its growth path and will become increasingly important as a pillar of European power transmission. And I personally feel nothing but honoured to have made a small contribution to this.”

He goes with a lot of good memories in his luggage. “I particularly liked the international, young, lively atmosphere in the company. The fact that most employees come from abroad and are far away from their families and friends also brings the team together outside office hours and leads to close friendships.”

He also appreciated management’s commitment to employee well-being and opportunities for personal development. He always felt that his voice was heard and respected and that his work was valued. Comradeship has always been a top priority and colleagues have always supported him when necessary. “I want to tell them that it was a great pleasure to work with them,” he says. He should know by now at the latest: The people here feel the same way. Despite all the melancholy about Mário’s departure, everyone wishes him all the best and much success with Swissgrid. It is good for everyone that Zurich is only 3 hours away from Munich.

TSCNET Services is saying goodbye to Mário Martins, who joins the Swissgrid

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> Visit Swissgrid webpage (html)

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ENTSO-E’s MAF 2019 is out now

23.11.2019

The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) has released the new 2019 edition of the Midterm Adequacy Forecast (MAF). In this context, “adequacy” refers to the balance between electricity generation and demand and the forecast is based on a comprehensive mathematical analysis of future pan-European supply security over the period up to 2021 and 2025. The MAF examines not only the interdependencies of supply and demand, but also of storage, climatic conditions, and interconnection capacity. This year, the data granularity and quality were further improved, in particular, with information on thermal generation, an improved hydrological database and a new calculation methodology for demand time series.

The results of MAF 2019 show a low risk for adequacy. However, the MAF also underlines the increasingly important role of cross-border cooperation between transmission system operators (TSOs) in promoting adequacy throughout the interconnected pan-European electricity system. As in the previous issue, MAF 2019 includes a low carbon scenario that considers the impact of the decommissioning of coal-fired plants by 2025. Here the results for some market areas directly or indirectly affected show increased risks. Sources of flexibility such as demand side patterns, storage, interconnections and enhanced and smarter integration of renewable and distributed energy sources are thus required.

The MAF is part of the broader 10-year Network Development Plan (TYNDP), which assesses system needs up to 2040. The results of MAF 2019 will be open to public consultation until 13 January 2020. In addition, ENTSO-E will organise a public webinar on 4 December to discuss the MAF results.

ENTSO-E has released the MAF 2019 (picture: ENTSO-E)

Linkup
> See ENTSO-E press release (html)
> Visit MAF 2019 website with access to appendices and data sets (html)
> Open executive summary of MAF 2019 (pdf, 1.29MB)
> Access to public consultation (html)
> Register for the webinar (html)

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Reaching the goal quickly with calculated risk

22.11.2019

Anyone who knows the Munich premises of TSCNET Services has probably also seen the photo wall with private photos of almost all employees. When the answer to the question “Do you have a photo for our wall, too?” is “Yes, but only one with me hanging head over feet out of a helicopter in the clouds”, you might think of a joke, but with him it’s none: Péter Szőcs, the new Data Center Support Specialist at TSCNET, not only has special professional skills, but also quite special hobbies. A native of Romania with Hungarian and German roots, he likes it fast and used to be an extremely successful professional motorcycle racer competing against the world’s best. Today he rather wants to go high and enjoy free fall as a skydiver. Here, too, he has an impressive international network and is well known on the scene.

For him, his personal and professional motivation is described by the fact that if he stands two and a half miles above the ground in an open aircraft door and can take a step into the empty space himself, then he could do anything. How can this be understood? Well, there is a saying circulating in the skydiving community that hints at the special magic of this sport: “For those who jump, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not jump, no explanation is possible.”

High speed and an experienced handling of risks also benefit Péter at work. In addition to studying history and journalism, he holds a bachelor’s degree in mechatronics and computer science. He has worked as a senior IT technical consultant on unified communication and contact centre solutions, e.g. for BMW, and as the Head of IT/Networking of the Transylvania International Film Festival.

Today he sees himself as a motivated and versatile professional with many years of IT experience, who is always looking forward undertaking new and exciting challenges. Together with his colleagues from the IT Infrastructure Services team, he wants to integrate and implement solutions that help TSCNET employees become more efficient in their business operation to increase productivity. “I want to be an active part of something that has an impact beyond our lives, where the focus is outward and the mission is more than the bottom line,” explains Péter. If this happens at a proverbial breakneck speed and helps the company climb dizzying heights, the co-workers will be the last to object!

TSCNET Services welcomes Péter Szőcs

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Kick-off for new Weinviertel Line

19.11.2019

The Weinviertel Line (“Weinviertelleitung”) in Lower Austria is in operation for more than 70 years. An elementary component of the grid of TSCNET shareholder APG, the Austrian transmission system operator (TSO), the 220kV line is now in considerable need of rehabilitation. Apart from that, the routing of the existing line does not meet the requirements of the future energy system characterised by decentralised generation of the renewables. The Weinviertel Line reconstruction is therefore essential for the implementation of the Austrian energy and climate strategy “#mission2030”, which sets the national goal of covering 100% of electricity consumption with renewable energies by 2030.

The new 380kV Weinviertel Line will run from Seyring near Vienna to the substation in Neusiedl an der Zaya in the north-eastern Weinviertel. Here in Neusiedl, the ground-breaking ceremony for the new construction has now taken place. To the benefit of the environment and local residents, the new Weinviertel line requires 53 pylons less than the old one. “This is because we can dismantle the first eleven kilometres of the old line without replacement, as we will connect the new line with an existing line and feed it in there,” explained Gerhard Christiner and Thomas Karall, CTO and CFO of APG respectively. The investment costs for the new line amount to 200m euros.

Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister, a member of the Lower Austrian state government who attended the ceremony, commented: “With the new APG Weinviertel Line, Lower Austria will have an efficient and future-oriented grid connection for renewable energies from the region. The APG Weinviertel Line thus makes an important contribution to the Lower Austrian Climate and Energy Roadmap 2030.”

APG has started construction of the new Weinviertel Line (picture: APG; from left to right: Franz Mittermayer from Austrian energy company EVN, Thomas Karall, Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister and Gerhard Christiner)

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> See APG press release, in German (html)

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First pylon of new East Bavarian Ring erected

16.11.2019

The Ostbayernring (East Bavarian Ring) is an existing power line operated by the Dutch-German transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT, that stretches about 185km from the Upper Franconian town of Redwitz via Mechlenreuth and Etzenricht to Schwandorf in the Upper Palatinate. After the shutdown of Northeast Bavarian nuclear and conventional power plants, the Ostbayernring primarily transports renewable energies. On several days of the year, more energy is generated by wind turbines and photovoltaic plants in the regions along the East Bavarian Ring than is needed locally. Due to the resulting increase in the amount of renewable energy fed into the grid, the East Bavarian Ring regularly reaches its capacity limits.

To ensure the security of supply and the reliability of the grid and to prevent grid failures for the entire region of Upper Franconia and Upper Palatinate, the transmission capacities of the East Bavarian Ring need to be significantly improved. A replacement construction for the East Bavarian Ring was therefore included in the German Federal Requirements Plan and the urgency of the project for the energy market was legally determined. The new line is being constructed along the existing route, extending the current 380/220kV systems to two 380kV systems.

In the course of the construction of the new East Bavarian Ring and the related grid reinforcement, the Redwitz, Mechlenreuth, Etzenricht and Schwandorf substations of the TSCNET shareholder are also being upgraded. Now the first pylon of the new Ostbayerring has been erected on the site of the Etzenricht substation. TenneT has captured the construction on film in order to give a well-founded impression of the erection process.

The first pylon of the new East Bavarian Ring of TenneT has been erected (picture: TenneT / screenshot taken from TenneT-video “TenneT Ostbayernring: Der Projektleiter stellt sich vor”, YouTube)

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> See TenneT tweet, in German (html)
> Watch video of the pylon construction (YouTube)

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GIS with Clean Air technology for Daxlanden

14.11.2019

In present-day gas-insulated high-voltage systems, sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) is commonly used as insulating gas. It has excellent electrical and chemical properties, but also a strong greenhouse effect. For reasons of climate protection, TransnetBW, one of the four German transmission system operators (TSOs), focuses on eco-efficient technical concepts. In November last year, the TSCNET shareholder launched a pilot project at its substation in Obermooweiler, northeast of Lake Constance, with the world’s first gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) at extra-high voltage level using a climate-friendly alternative gas technology.

TransnetBW has now commissioned the new construction of the switchgear for the 380kV substation in Daxlanden near Karlsruhe, where the existing open-air facility will be replaced by two new GIS. Here, the TSO has opted for the so-called Clean Air technology, which exclusively uses processed air as an insulating medium instead of SF₆. This significantly reduces the greenhouse effect of the entire switchgear system. The new GIS facilities will be built and commissioned gradually over the next few years and the existing open-air installation will be dismantled during ongoing operation.

The Daxlanden substation is an important network node in TransnetBW’s transmission grid and the central link between two grid construction projects from the German national Grid Development Plan for electricity (NEP), which contains essential grid extension projects to realise the energy transition. “A successful energy transition requires an efficient and future-proof transmission grid,” explains Dr. Werner Götz, Chairman of the TransnetBW Executive Board. “The more we are pleased to be able to make an additional contribution to the environment and climate protection by using the innovative Clean Air technology in Daxlanden.”

TransnetBW will build two GIS with Clean Air technology in the substation Daxlanden (computer simulation of the reconstructed Daxlanden substation: TransnetBW)

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> See TransnetBW press release, in German (html)

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TYNDP 2020 Scenario Report

13.11.2019

The Ten-Year Network Development Plans (TYNDPs) are published every two years by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) and for gas (ENTSOG) with the participation of the respective member transmission system operators (TSOs). The TYNDPs support the European Commission in selecting Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) to be subsidised by European funds.

An EU regulation requires the ENTSOs to develop scenarios for their TYNDPs, and with the TYNDP 2020 the ENTSOs have designed these scenarios jointly for the second time. This cooperation makes sense because the scenarios not only serve to test the future needs and projects of the electricity and gas infrastructure, but also to investigate the interactions between gas and electricity grids in order to assess the infrastructure of a hybrid energy system.

The supply and demand data obtained from TSOs have resulted in the “National Trends” scenario, the central policy-based scenario that takes into account Member States’ national energy and climate plans as well as EU climate targets. The “Global Ambition” and “Decentralised Energy” scenarios are developed as full energy scenarios (not only for gas and electricity) and are in line with the objective of the Paris Convention. “These scenarios represent a comprehensive, reliable and contrasted set of possible energy futures that will allow the ENTSOs to perform a sound assessment of European infrastructure projects in the TYNDPs,” comments Laurent Schmitt, Secretary General of ENTSO-E.

The “TYNDP 2020 Scenario Report” featuring the draft versions of the scenarios has now been released by the ENTSOs and a formal public consultation on the scenarios will be launched shortly and will run until January. On 5 December, the ENTSOs will organise a public workshop in Brussels to present the TYNDP 2020 Scenario Report.

The ENTSOs have published their joint “TYNDP 2020 Scenario Report” (illustration using a picture by ENTSO-E/ENTSOG)

Linkup
> See ENTSO-E press release (html)
> Visit TYNDP 2020 Scenario Report website (html)
> Open TYNDP 2020 Scenario Report (pdf, 4.48MB)
> Visit Scenarios data visualisation platform (html)
> Register for Scenario workshop (html)

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