New Local Implementation Project under SIDC

09.07.2020

European transmission system operators (TSOs) are committed to the European Energy Union by collectively working towards an integrated European electricity market. A key component for market integration is cross-border Single Intraday Coupling (SIDC), which was introduced as XBID in June 2018. SIDC is designed to increase the overall efficiency of intraday trading through effective competition, increased liquidity, and more efficient use of generation resources. Currently, the markets of 22 countries are coupled through SIDC: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. With the inclusion of the Slovakian Nominated Electricity Market Operator (NEMO) OKTE and TSCNET shareholder SEPS, the TSO from Bratislava, the project also extends to Slovakia.

Within the framework structure of the SIDC, Local Implementation Projects (LIPs) provide for the expansion of the market coupling, and a new project has now been established as LIP 17. The NEMOs and TSOs from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia – the TSCNET shareholders ČEPS, MAVIR, PSE, and SEPS – have proposed to implement SIDC across the borders between Slovakia-Czechia, Slovakia-Hungary, and Slovakia-Poland. The SIDC Steering Committee approved on 7 July and the LIP 17 roadmap will now be elaborated in more detail.

The SIDC solution comprises a common IT system with a shared order book, a capacity management module, and a shipping module. In addition to the TSOs mentioned above, the TSCNET shareholders 50Hertz, Amprion, APG, ELES, HOPS, TenneT, Transelectrica, and TransnetBW as well as the TSCNET customers Creos from Luxembourg and Energinet from Denmark are also part of SIDC.

A new LIP for the introduction of intraday trading across the borders of Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia has been established under SIDC

Linkup
> See MAVIR press release (html)
> See PSE press release (html)
> See SEPS press release (html)

See article on single page

Swapping numbers for people – the story of Mihály Kapás

09.07.2020

At the turn of the millennium Phil Collins sang his famous song “Son of Man” for Disney’s animated film “Tarzan”. There is a much-quoted verse in it: “In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn. You’ll find your place beside the ones you love.” Although the world has changed considerably since this text was written, its message seems timeless: teaching and learning not only brings people together and promotes team spirit, but also creates an environment in which great ideas can be born and flourish. For Mihály Kapás, the new Senior Training & Licensing Manager in our Service Operations business unit, these lines are a constant inspiration and a kind of motto for his career.

The 37-year-old comes from Hungary, where he earned his master’s degree in electrical engineering at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. After graduating, Mihály joined the Hungarian power transmission system operator (TSO) MAVIR and became a specialist in planning network operations. He stayed with the company for 14 years and gained important insights into the different departments and tasks of a TSO. Over time, Mihály realized that his true vocation in the energy world is not in numbers, but in working more closely with the people who form the backbone of the security of the European power grid. He decided to follow his passion and opened the door to the world of training, mentoring and coaching by completing an internationally recognized coaching programme and taking responsibility for internal training. Through his work he made contact with many colleagues from the energy world, including employees of TSCNET Services. Mihály states that this experience gave him the inspiration to move to our company from Budapest to Munich, as he felt that TSCNET and its employees were very much in line with his vision.

In his new role, Mihály will use the knowledge he has acquired over the years to support the different business units through customized training. “For me, TSCNET is a hub of people, ideas, and information,” states our most recent newcomer. “Whatever happens here, might have an effect on the whole system.” As someone who grew up in a multicultural family and already speaks English, Spanish and Russian apart from Hungarian, he is also looking forward to learning German in addition to his daily work tasks and to applying his diverse experience to his work with us. Since Mihály, like many of his new colleagues, loves motorcycling and likes to be in nature, this should be an exciting mixture. There are two popular quotes from Phil Collins that come to mind: “Deep inside us we’re not that different at all”, or, also from the “Tarzan” soundtrack, “Put your faith in what you most believe in”. Either way: Welcome to the team!

Mihály Kapás is the new Senior Training & Licensing Manager in our Service Operations business unit

Linkup
> See Mihály’s LinkedIn profile (html)

See article on single page

Smart control of heat pumps – HeatFlex expands

08.07.2020

Launched in the summer of 2018, the HeatFlex research project aims to exploit the potential for grid stabilisation that small and decentralised consumer devices can offer – if actively involved in the stabilising process. The founding project members are TSCNET shareholder TenneT, the Dutch-German transmission system operator (TSO), and the southern German distribution system operator (DSO) Bayernwerk Netz. Following the successful cooperation and positive test results, TenneT and Bayernwerk Netz are now expanding the project. The grid operators are pleased to welcome three new project partners: the DSO Regensburg Netz as well as the public utilities Stadtwerk Haßfurt and SWW Wunsiedel.

With HeatFlex, TenneT and Bayernwerk are jointly researching the most effective integration of decentralised devices – such as electric storage heaters, heat pumps, and water heaters – into grid balancing. These flexible capacities are intended to avoid cost-intensive interventions by the TSO in the case of future grid bottlenecks. Since November 2019, the project partners have already been implementing the first concrete measures based on HeatFlex results: The heat pumps and direct heating systems connected to Bayernwerk Netz are being intelligently controlled for bottleneck prevention. Decentralised heating systems are thus partially taking over the stabilising function of fossil plants. Using ripple control technology already in place, no additional investments are required.

The increase in partners should serve to make intelligent use of even more local flexibility and to investigate further controllable, decentralised consumption units and alternative applications. The ultimate aims of HeatFlex are cost savings, reduction of grid extension, and the acceleration of the energy transition without jeopardising system security. “The intelligent control of the smallest, decentralised electricity consumption units is a small but essential element,” explains TenneT Managing Director Tim Meyerjürgens, “because the many pieces of the puzzle together make up the overall picture of the energy transition”.

The research project HeatFlex is extended with three additional partners (picture: Stiebel Eltron)

Linkup
> See TenneT press release, in German (html)

See article on single page

ENTSO-E promotes green economic recovery

06.07.2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the European transmission system operators (TSOs) lived up to their responsibilities and focused their efforts on maintaining a secure and sufficient supply of electricity, whether for systemically critical facilities or private consumers. The task in the aftermath of this unprecedented crisis is now to ensure that, when Europe’s economy and society regains momentum after the SARS-CoV-2 downturn, it does so in a future-oriented and environmentally responsible manner. Against this background, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), on behalf of its member TSOs, welcomes the European Commission’s strategy to focus on achieving a climate-neutral, resilient, and innovative EU.

ENTSO-E is confident that European TSOs are ready and willing to contribute their expertise to the green recovery. The Corona crisis should not prevent European decision-makers from complying with the EU Green Deal, as ENTSO-E considers it to be central to Europe’s economic recovery. To succeed in the sustainable post-pandemic upturn and the Green Deal, ENTSO-E recommends four key actions to EU policy makers:

  • Recognising the key role of electricity TSOs in system integration – towards a “system of interconnected systems”. This includes multi-sectoral grid planning and forward-looking investments.
  • Putting electrification at the heart of the EU’s decarbonisation policy, as electricity is the dominant vector for clean energy and the electricity transmission grid is central to this.
  • Investing in low-carbon, purpose-built infrastructure and in a “cyber-physical” power supply system.
  • Ensuring a smooth recovery of the entire electricity value chain. This also involves strengthening Europe’s industrial and strategic autonomy.

ENTSO-E is committed to the success of the Green Deal and proposes action strategies to European policy makers (picture: Steffen Horstmann)

Linkup
> See ENTSO-E press release (html)

See article on single page

50Hertz aims for 100% renewables by 2032

03.07.2020

50 Hertz, the transmission system operator (TSO) from the north-east of Germany, has launched a climate and economic policy initiative for its control area, which consists of the federal states in eastern Germany and the city states of Berlin and Hamburg. The concrete goal is to cover 100% of the electricity demand in the 50Hertz grid area with renewable energies by the year 2032 and the secure integration of green electricity into the transmission system. As the annual average share of renewables in 2019 was around 60%, the initiative is entitled: “From 60 to 100 by 2032: for an economy with prospects”.

The “100 by 32” initiative corresponds to and exceeds the objectives of the EU Commission’s “Green Deal”, according to which Europe should become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The TSCNET shareholder will focus the entire corporate strategy on the new ambitious target and – in compliance with the legal requirements for safe and reliable grid operation – will mobilise its extensive expertise. Since, according to 50Hertz CEO Stefan Kapferer, further considerable efforts are necessary not only in the own company but also in politics, economy, and society, the TSO offers to support the German federal and state governments in developing suitable areas and potential for wind and solar energy, off- and onshore

Kapferer comments further on the strategy: “The transformation of our electric power supply has entered a new phase. Today’s parallel existence of a conventional fossil generation system and an energy system based on renewable sources is coming to an end. Wind and solar energy must be able to provide ancillary services in the future. We are determined to drive this transition forward, but now with new and full speed.”

50Hertz launches the corporate initiative “From 60 to 100 by 2032” for a complete coverage of electricity demand with renewable energies (picture: 50Hertz)

Linkup
> See 50Hertz press release (html)

See article on single page

SVC for SINCRO.GRID in Konjsko

02.07.2020

As in many parts of Europe, the increasing integration of decentralised, volatile renewable energy sources has also led in Croatia and Slovenia to a lack of flexibility and reactive power. The two TSCNET shareholders HOPS, the transmission system operator (TSO) from Croatia, and ELES, the Slovenian TSO, react to this with their joint project SINCRO.GRID that also involves two distribution system operators (DSOs) from the respective countries. The European Project of Common Interest (PCI) aims to optimise the efficiency of the two national electricity transmission networks through advanced technologies and innovative data processing methods. These include compensation devices, a dynamic thermal rating system, a battery power storage system, and a virtual cross-border control centre.

The start of construction of a static VAR compensator (SVC) in the Dalmatian substation in Konjsko on 30 June represents another significant milestone in the implementation of SINCRO.GRID. This state-of-the-art compensation system will support HOPS in actively controlling the reactive power flows in the Croatian power grid. The ceremony to mark the construction start was attended by high-ranking representatives of the Croatian government and the energy companies involved.

In addition to the SVC in Konjsko, SINCRO.GRID comprises three further main elements in Croatia: a variable shunt reactor (VSR) in the Mraclin substation near Zagreb, which was commissioned in January 2020, another VSR in the Melina substation, which is scheduled to be commissioned at the end of 2020, and finally a joint Croatian-Slovenian virtual control centre. Tomislav Plavšić, President of the HOPS Management Board, describes the latter as a unique solution for coordinated voltage regulation on the entire territory of both countries. The principal task of the binational virtual centre is to integrate three devices each in Croatia and Slovenia for reactive power compensation into one common operation to fully exploit their synergy potential.

HOPS has commenced construction of a SVC as part of the SINCRO.GRID project in Konjsko (picture with Tomislav Plavšić in the foreground: HOPS)

Linkup
> See HOPS press release, in Croatian (html)
> Visit SINCRO.GRID website (html)

See article on single page

Difficult to procure – welcome, Marcela!

02.07.2020

“Procurement is not only about negotiating prices – it is about creating long-term partnerships beneficial for all involved parties,” says Marcela Ostafie, the new Procurement and Contract Manager in the Portfolio Management unit at TSCNET Services. Marcela, who chose the company because of its “fresh, international, young environment”, is looking forward to supporting all needs relating to all major purchasing processes and contractual arrangements and ensuring that business partnerships continue to flourish.

The 46-year old Romanian holds a diploma in business administration from the Munich University of Applied Sciences and has gained professional experience in a variety of areas during tenures with companies such as Airbus Group, Huawei Technologies and the Deutsche Bahn AG. In her functions as Category Manager and Strategic Buyer, Marcela contributed and expanded her knowledge on supply chains, project management as well as successful procurement. Thanks to her detailed insights into these important business operations, she comes to TSCNET equipped with great ideas and driven to make a lasting positive impact.

In her new position, Marcela will focus on implementing robust procurement processes and improving them together with her co-workers from Portfolio Management. Apart from her work responsibilities, Marcela is also taking care of her two lovely cats Luna and Lucky, who have been with her for three years. “Find out what your business partner loves and put your claws into it”, says the advice of financial market expert Clem Chambers in his article “Five Things Businesses Can Learn From Cats” in “Forbes”. We’re pretty sure that Marcela has some negotiating skills, but you don’t have to take this claw thing too literally. “Meow!”

Marcela Ostafie has joined TSCNET Services as the new Procurement and Contract Manager in the Portfolio Management unit

See article on single page

Successful start of FCR auctions

01.07.2020

The cooperation on regional procurement and exchange of frequency containment reserve (FCR) is a voluntary initiative of eight transmission system operators (TSOs): the six TSCNET shareholders 50Hertz, Amprion, and TransnetBW from Germany, APG from Austria, Swissgrid from Switzerland, and the Dutch-German TSO TenneT, as well as Elia from Belgium and the French TSO RTE. The FCR project is the first regional cooperation for a common market based on the methodology for the exchange of control reserves set out in the EU Guideline on Electricity Balancing. Within the scope of a cooperation model with Amprion, the Luxembourg TSCNET customer Creos is also involved.

The next milestone in the development of the largest European market for primary balancing power reserve has now been reached, as the first D-1 auction for FCR with 4-hour products was successfully conducted on 30 June 2020. This means, the FCR cooperation reduces the product length from one day to four hours and thus the market for primary balancing power is brought closer to real time.

Due to stronger competition between service providers and technologies, the joint auction allows TSOs to procure FCRs at minimum cost to end-users while offering a large common market for all providers of balancing services. It also increases the market attractiveness for short-term flexibility, limits price volatility and improves the security of grid operation by executing cross zonal procurement of FCR. The FCR market, already the largest in Europe, will be extended to western Denmark and Slovenia in the first quarter of 2021, so that with Energinet and ELES two further TSCNET shareholders will broaden the project.

The FCR cooperation successfully conducted the first D-1 auction for FCR with 4-hour products 

Linkup
> See Swissgrid news release (html)

See article on single page

A journey through the energy world – welcome, Abror!

01.07.2020

Maintaining the operational security of the European electricity system requires the highest level of expertise, ability to make the right decisions in stressful situations, and dedication – especially in our Service Operations business unit. Abror Shamsiev, our new Junior Operations Manager, should be well qualified for this and has already gained experience in ensuring that electricity processes run smoothly and efficiently.

The 29-year-old Abror comes from Uzbekistan, where he completed his basic studies in Electrical Engineering at the Tashkent State Technical University and also started his professional career. His journey in the energy sector began in 2010, the last year of his undergraduate studies, when Abror joined the Coordinating Dispatch Centre “Energy” in Tashkent, which acts as Regional Security Coordinator (RSC) similar to TSCNET in Central Asia. He worked there for a total of five years. During this time, he was also involved in a fellowship programme in Brussels at the Energy Charter Secretariat, which focused on electricity transit pricing in transition countries. Inspired by his time in Brussels, he decided to pursue a European graduate education and in March 2019 obtained a Master’s degree from the Technical University of Kaiserslautern in Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany. Thanks to his experience both in Central Asia and in the EU, Abror has gained valuable insights into the field of energy security and has been able to build up an impressive range of skills.

Abror will now use his rich experience and qualifications to help further improve our services to our customers. He is particularly excited about the opportunity to focus more on energy security issues in Europe at the highest level. Doing this with equally ambitious colleagues “is the cherry on top”, says Abror. The team spirit at TSCNET embodies a working culture that can be described very well with an Uzbek proverb: One head is good, two are better. Fortunately, with Abror we have gained what appears to be a rather clever additional head.

TSCNET welcomes Abror Shamsiev, new Junior Operations Manager in the Service Operations unit

See article on single page

RDI Roadmap and TYNDP 2020: consultation and webinars

30.06.2020

The Ten-Year Network Development Plans (TYNDPs) are biennial publications of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) and for Gas (ENTSOG). The TYNDPs are considered by the European Commission (EC) when selecting Projects of Common Interest (PCIs). ENTSO-E and ENTSOG are obliged to develop scenarios for the TYNDPs, and in the case of TYNDP 2020, the two organisations have worked together on these scenarios for the second time. The scenarios should not only identify the future demand for electricity and gas infrastructures and projects, but also survey and assess the interactions in a hybrid energy system between the gas and electricity sectors.

The ENTSOs now have presented the final version of the scenarios. The supply and demand data collected by the member transmission system operators (TSOs) for gas and electricity are used to create the central “National Trends” scenario, which reflects the national energy and climate plans of individual member states and recognises the EU climate targets. The “Global Ambition” and “Distributed Energy” scenarios are designed as comprehensive energy scenarios in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. They also consider the EU-27 efforts to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050. Laurent Schmitt, Secretary General of ENTSO-E, defines these scenarios as “a comprehensive, reliable and contrasted set of possible energy futures that will allow ENTSO-E and ENTSOG to perform a sound assessment of European infrastructure projects in the TYNDPs”.

There is another ENTSO-E project related to the European Green Deal and its goal of climate neutrality by 2050, and that is the Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Roadmap 2020-2030. In line with the requirements of the EU Clean Energy Package, the RDI Roadmap combines the opportunities offered by technological trends, the needs of TSOs related to grid operation and market development, and the input from the policy objectives of the EC and other stakeholders.

The Roadmap identifies three major areas for RDI – Integrated Systems, Power Grid, and Cyber Physical System – and six European innovation flagships addressing them: cross-sector integration, deep electrification, grid use and development for a pan-EU market, large-scale offshore wind energy integration, secure operation of a widespread hybrid AC/DC grid, and control centre operations and interoperability. It is understood that TSOs in the electricity sector act as catalysts for committed and flexible innovation strategies and that they have already demonstrated their determination to coordinate individual efforts to implement the Green Deal and related policies.

The ENTSO-E RDI Roadmap 2020-2030 is open for consultation until 10 August and will then be submitted to the European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) for its opinion. ENTSO-E will organise webinars on both, Roadmap and TYNDP Scenarios, on 2 July and 3 July, respectively.

ENTSO-E has opened a consultation on the RDI Roadmap 2020-2030 and is organising webinars on the Roadmap as well as on the TYNDP 2020 Scenarios (picture: ENTSO-E)

Linkup
> See ENTSO-E press release on TYNDP Scenarios (html)
> See ENTSO-E press release on RDI Roadmap (html)
> Visit TYNDP 2020 Scenario website (html)
> Open TYNDP 2020 Scenario Report (pdf, 7.28MB)
> Open RDI Roadmap (pdf, 4.83MB)
> Access to RDI Roadmap consultation (html)
> Register for Scenario webinar (html)
> Register for Roadmap webinar (html)

See article on single page