Ref. Ares(2021)4296942 - 01/07/2021
PRESS RELEASE
12 January 2017
European transmission system operators to constantly strengthen their
cooperation in the management of the interconnected power system
Eight European transmission system operators improve their cooperation with a
view to optimising electricity exchange capacities. The strenghtened collaboration
includes Amprion (Germany), Elia (Belgium), REE (Spain), RTE (France), Swissgrid
(Switzerland), TenneT (Netherlands), Terna (Italy) and TransnetBW (Germany).
In order to tackle increasing challenges in managing the security of power systems while
maximising the benefits for the European electricity market, transmission system operators
(TSOs) and regional coordination centres (RSCs) are further strengthening their collaboration,
both in their forecast studies and in their daily operation, to optimize cross-border exchange
capacities at each interconnection, according to system needs and conditions. These procedures
are accelerated and coordinated by the regional security coordination centres (the main RSCs
active in Central Europe are currently CORESO and TSCNet).
Modelled on the process used in previous years to guarantee security of electricity supply in
Switzerland and Belgium, the eight grid operators have outlined a joint action plan to ensure an
efficient and harmonized usage of the power system resources.
Cross border exchanges resulting from the optimisation of the interconnections, play a key role
in ensuring the security of supply in countries whose power systems are under pressure. This
strengthened cooperation will be particularly useful in case of potential generation adequacy
issues in a country.
The reinforced coordination will consist in the following main procedures:
- The European TSOs will be in constant contact through a newly-created catalogue of
extraordinary measures such as ending some temporary safety margins in the new Flow Based
process or the increase of the intraday capacity from Switzerland to France. The objective of
this enhanced coordination is to optimise electricity exchange capacities between countries, so
as to meet the needs of energy suppliers and limit the risk of power cuts when the supply-
demand balance in different countries becomes strained at critical days.
- Maintenance works on the transmission lines most heavily impacting the cross-border
exchanges have been rescheduled in an optimal way to boost electricity exchange capacity
between countries and thus draw maximum benefit from the pooling of European generating
facilities.
The deployment of these new measures comes in addition to the existing mutual assistance
arrangements between TSOs. The speed with which these supplementary measures are being
set up demonstrate once again the initiatives already implemented by the Regional Security
Coordination Centres and the commitment of European TSOs to strengthening cooperation and
solidarity mechanisms, particularly during periods marked by challenges to the electricity
system.