Keizerslaan 20 Boulevard de l'Empereur, 20 B-1000 Brussels
PRESS RELEASE
Tel.: 02 546 70 11 Fax: 02 546 70 10
1 October 2012
Elia commits to an international transmission system operator cooperation project aiming to optimise electricity grid control
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Involvement in the international platform IGCC (International Grid Control Cooperation) from 1 October as the first step on the way to cross-border electricity grid management Enhancing the quality of electricity grid control Saving fuel through more efficient use of existing reserves
Offsetting imbalances between the volume of electricity consumed and the volume of electricity generated is all in a day's work for transmission system operators (TSOs). The IGCC platform is the first step on the way to grid management on an international scale. The cooperation project will make it possible for imbalances in opposite directions – i.e. a surplus for one TSO and a shortfall for another – to be mutually offset automatically through an exchange system. This system has the benefit of allowing transmission system operators to cut down on their use of the reserve capacities available to them to maintain balance in their control areas. The TSOs will use transmission capacity that was not used by the market to perform their offset operations, so the mechanism will not affect market players' import and export activities. Moreover, the cooperation project will have no direct impact on the reserves and generation capacity each country needs to meet its structural needs. This new project enables imbalances to be offset, in real time, between the participating countries without resorting to reserves, which require additional fuel. It could therefore have a positive effect on operators' tariffs and, by extension, the prices paid by consumers. Elia's maximum capacity on the IGCC platform will be 140 MW during this initial pilot year. At present, the companies participating in IGCC are the four German TSOs, Energinet.dk (Denmark), CEPS (Czech Republic), Swissgrid (Switzerland) and TenneT NL (Netherlands). Elia became involved in the project thanks to our fruitful cooperation with TenneT NL and our subsidiary and partner in this project, 50Hertz. This international cooperation project enhances grid management and helps to improve quality of control (Area Control Error, resulting from a discrepancy between generation and consumption in the control area). An evaluation is scheduled to take place in a year's time. Media : Lise Mulpas Axelle Pollet
02 546 73 75 02 546 75 11
0478 65 28 90 0475 84 38 91
lise.mulpas@elia.be axelle.pollet@elia.be
Investor relations : Bert Maes
02 546 72 39
0472 40 69 97
bert.maes@elia.be
A propos d’Elia :
About Elia: The Elia Group is organised around two electricity transmission system operators: Elia Transmission in Belgium and (in cooperation with Industry Funds Management) 50Hertz Transmission, one of the four German transmission system operators, active in the north and east of Germany. With more than 1,700 employees and a transmission grid comprising some 13,400 km of high-voltage connections serving 30 million consumers, the Elia Group is one of Europe’s top 5 TSOs. It efficiently, reliably and securely transmits electricity from generators to distribution system operators and major industrial consumers, while also importing and exporting electricity from and to neighbouring countries. The Group is a driving force behind the development of the European electricity market and the integration of energy generated from renewable sources. In addition to its system operator activities in Belgium and Germany, the Elia Group offers businesses a range of consultancy and engineering services. The Group operates under the legal entity Elia System Operator, a listed company whose reference shareholder is municipal holding company Publi-T.