Fifth anniversary for Elia Grid International: interview with Didier Wiot, CEO EGI

#2 We deliver the transmission system of the future

GRI 201-2

€ 1.1 billion

ELIA GROUP WILL BE INVESTING A STAGGERING € 1.1 BILLION PER ANNUM FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS

AMBITION

Elia Group is committed to realise the next phase of the energy transition in a timely, secure and efficient way with maximum welfare for society. We do to the utmost to accelerate the delivery of critical grid infrastructure and to migitate any risk of delays in close collaboration with the competent authorities.

CHALLENGE

We want to close the gap between the fast development of renewable generation compared to the longer leadtimes for building grid infrastructure. In addition, Elia Group is investing strongly in the optimisation of existing assets by integrating new technologies and more advanced system operation concepts.

APPROACH

For the next two years, Elia and 50Hertz will be investing a staggering € 1.1 billion per annum in the integration of renewable energy, development of an offshore high-voltage grid and in the construction of interconnectors to facilitate the integration of the European energy market.

Facilitating Offshore Energy

INTERVIEW WITH HENRICH QUICK (HEAD OF PROJECTS OFFSHORE 50HERTZ) AND TOM PIETERCIL (PROJECT MANAGER MOG AND HEAD OF INFRASTRUCTURE EXPERTISE)

A Sea of opportunities

2019 was a successful year in terms of offshore goals for both Belgium and Germany. In Belgium, the Modular Offshore Grid (MOG) was commissioned and Nemo Link became operational. In Germany, 50Hertz celebrated the inauguration of the Arkona wind farm in the Baltic Sea, which marked th the completion of the Ostwind 1 project.

Why is offshore wind becoming increasingly important in realising the energy transition?

Henrich: “ Offshore development is becoming an important building block of reliable supply in a new energy world. It is competitive in terms of market prices, reliable in terms of the technology and in terms of grid development. We are getting used to integrating more and more renewables into our system operations. Wind Europe published a report stating that 450 GW is the offshore potential within Europe by 2050, of which 212 GW can be found in the North Sea and 83 GW in the Baltic Sea. ”

Tom: “ Without offshore energy, Europe will not be able to reach its ambitious climate targets. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), offshore energy is the next hot item in the energy sector. Offshore wind will be the technology that grows like mushrooms over the next 10 to 15 years. It is cheap, reliable and it provides highly efficient energy. It will become an important part of Elia Group‘s business. ” Offshore is at the forefront of international cooperation, do you have many exchanges with other European TSOs?

Henrich: “ Because the offshore business is so complex, there is a lot of solidarity among the TSOs as we all face the same challenges. There is a group of large offshore project managers from Norway, the UK, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy and Spain. We all work closely together and have organised internships between countries to share best practices. That spirit goes to both of our teams. They often call each other for advice. This is something we really encourage. ”

“Offshore development is becoming an important building block of reliable

supply in a new energy world.

Henrich Quick

Chancellor Angela Merkel attended the inauguration of the new Arkona offshore wind farm on Tuesday 16 April 2019.

In what sense are offshore grid projects more challenging than onshore projects?

Tom: “ The foremost reason is that it is highly if not entirely dependent on the weather. The sea is a very dangerous environment to work in. When something goes wrong, it has a huge impact on safety and costs. That‘s why a good planning and a smooth organisation are so vital. In order to ensure this, we need our people to be in the field 24/7. This means working in shifts to make sure the right expertise is available at all times. ” “ Offshore wind is cheap, reliable and it provides highly efficient

energy. It will become an important part of Elia Group‘s business.

Tom Pietercil