TenneT

COMPANY PROFILE

2015

TENNET

+31 (0) 800 83 66 388 | www.tennet.eu

Cross-border electricity highways and innovative super cables Editorial: Abigail Saltmarsh

With 21,000km of high-voltage lines, TSO TenneT crosses borders and works closely with governments, NGOs, trading partners and investors all over the world to find powerful solutions to ensure a reliable and uninterrupted supply of electricity for its millions of end users.

Leading European electricity transmission operator (TSO), TenneT, rides on the maxim of “taking power further” and now once again is cementing its commitment to its 41 million end users by pledging to continue to

transmission capacity between the Netherlands and five connected countries, which will secure the long-term domestic Dutch supply.

It also states it is working on further expansion of import

same time period.

The report is published just weeks after the TSO announced a world first – that it was planning to install two to four km of underground superconducting high-voltage cable as part of the

go the extra mile.

The operator, which ranks among Europe’s five leading TSOs, has published its latest Security of Supply Monitoring Report, announcing a growth in cross-border electricity

and export capacity and that it expects electricity production capacity of conventional power plants to decrease by 20% between now and 2022, with wind and solar capacity increasing by 360% within the

Dutch electricity grid.

TenneT’s mission is to provide security of electricity supply in the markets it serves and to pursue the development of an integrated and sustainable northwest European electricity market.

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TENNET

CEO Mel Kroon says: “With this project, we are meeting society’s demand to install more highvoltage lines underground. With these superconducting cables, it should become easier in future to integrate high-voltage lines in urban areas.”

TenneT BV has activities in the Netherlands and Germany. It is headquartered in Arnhem, with regional offices in Waddinxveen, Weert and Hoogeveen, and offices in Germany.

services by constructing and maintaining a robust and efficient high-voltage grid. It also provides system services by maintaining the balance between supply and demand of electricity and it facilitates a smoothly functioning, liquid and stable electricity market.

The publication by the TSO of its latest annual Security of Supply Monitoring Report outlines its continuing goals towards ensuring the security of its supply and its commitment to the large-scale use of renewables

strong growth in renewable electricity production in our part of Europe, to compensate for fluctuations in the supply of green electricity generated from wind and solar energy, and to compensate for the loss in production capacity due to the decommissioning or mothballing of gas and coal-fired power plants,” says Mr Kroon.

“National borders can only serve as obstacles to a successful transition to a renewable energy supply.

We need closer collaboration

With around 21,000km of high-voltage lines, it crosses borders and works closely with governments, NGOs, trading partners and investors all over the world. Its main duties are to provide power transmission

by expanding cross-border transmission capacity and improving links with other TSOs. “TenneT will continue to develop links with markets in other countries, in order to maximise the benefits of the

between north-west European TSOs as well as interconnectors and links between electricity systems in order to safeguard the security of electricity supplies, import cheap energy, and facilitate the transition to a more

DEVELOPING LINKS

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sustainable energy market.”

EXPANDING CAPACITY The Dutch grid is already closely linked to the grids of other countries through onshore and subsea electricity connections, known as “interconnectors.”

TenneT is planning to realise a further expansion of cross-border transmission capacity in the coming years, he suggests.

“These interconnectors have an economic life of at least 40 years and offer a relatively quick return on investment. They establish links between the electricity markets of different countries.

Interconnectors benefit everyone

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“TenneT will continue to develop links with markets in other countries, in order to maximise the benefits of the strong growth in renewable electricity production in our part of Europe”

in the Netherlands, since they enable us to import cheaper renewable electricity or export it when prices are higher in another market.”

The BritNed cable between the Netherlands and the UK, which was taken into operation in 2011, has a capacity of 1,000 MW and is mainly used to export electricity. In contrast, the NorNed cable between the Netherlands and Norway, which became operational in 2008 and has a capacity of 700 MW, largely imports renewably generated electricity.

The Netherlands’s maximum import and export capacity currently totals 6,000 MW. TenneT plans to expand this capacity by 3,400 MW to reach 9,400 MW by 2022, an increase of 57%.

The plan is that this will be

TENNET achieved through a number of projects. These will include Doetinchem-Wesel, a 1,500 MW onshore interconnector between the Netherlands and Germany, and COBRAcable, a 700 MW subsea cable between the Netherlands and Denmark.

The TSO will also see expansion of the capacity of the existing Meeden-Diele interconnector by up to 500 MW and an increase in the import and export capacity between the Netherlands and Belgium by up to 700 MW.

CHANGES AHEAD According to the report, supply of electricity generated by conventional power plants will decrease over the coming years. As Mr Kroon suggests, total thermal production capacity will decrease due to the decommissioning and conservation of gas and coalfired power plants; operational thermal production capacity is expected to decrease by over 5,000 MW during the period until 2022.

“At present,” states the report, “the operational thermal production capacity totals nearly 25,000 MW but this is expected to fall by approximately 20% to 20,000 MW in 2022.

“Wind and solar generating capacity is expected to rise dramatically, from 4,200 MW today to over 15,000 MW in 2022. This corresponds to an increase of no less than 360%.

“However, the growing share of wind and solar energy will not result in a substantial improvement of the security of supply given the inevitable fluctuations in supply due to weather conditions. Local

storage, demand response, and closer cross-border integration will provide the flexibility to maintain the security of supply at its current high level.”

A TECHNOLOGY LEADER A s Te n n e T ri se s t o t h e c h a l l e n ge s of t h e f u t u re a n d l ook s f or sol u t i o n s t o h e lp it c on t i n u e t o m e e t it s o b lig a t io n s i n t ra n sm i ssi on , c o n n e c t io n a n d su ppl y, i t s a i m i s a ls o t o re m a in a l e a de r i n t e c h n o lo g y.

Th e u n de rgrou n d su pe rc on du c t i n g h ig h - v o lt a g e c a bl e de m on st ra t io n p ro je c t i s t h e l a t e st i n a n u m b e r o f

re c e n t p io n e e r in g p ro je c t s : Te n n e T h a s a ls o d e v e lo p e d t h e in n o v a t iv e n e w W in t r a c k p y lo n ; h a s a p p lie d h ig h - v o lt a g e d ire c t c u r re n t t e c h n o lo g y o n a la r g e s c a le t o c o n n e c t o ff s h o re w in d f a r m s t o t h e o n s h o re g r id a n d is p la n n in g t o u s e n e w 6 6 k V c o n n e c t io n s t o c o n n e c t f u t u re o ff s h o re w in d f a r m s in t h e N e t h e r la n d s .

I n a d d it io n , t h e T SO is t a k in g t h e le a d in t h e u n d e r g ro u n d in s t a lla t io n o f h ig h - v o lt a g e c o n n e c t io n s . Te n n e T w a s t h e f ir s t T SO t o c o n s t r u c t a 2 0 - k m lo n g s e c t io n o f 3 8 0 k V c a b le , a n d is in v e s t ig a t in g a d d it io n a l

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pos si b i l i ties in t his area.

The i n st allat io n of t he t w o t o f o ur km of underground h i gh t e mp erature superconduc t i n g (H DS C ) c able as par t of t he Du tch elect ricit y g rid c omp l ement s t hese a ch i evem ent s: a sect io n of s u p erconduct ing cable o f t hi s l en gth has no t yet b e e n

h i gh -vol t a ge c a bl e s. B e c a u s e a su pe rc on du c t i n g c a b le is c ool e d t o a t e m pe ra t u re o f a pproxi m a t e l y m i n u s 2 0 0 de g C, i t h a s n o e l e c t r ic a l re si st a n c e a n d c re a t e s n o e l e c t ri c i t y l osse s . T h e su pe rc on du c t i n g st a t e i s a c h i e ve d by m e a n s o f re fri ge ra t i on u si n g l i q u id

n o h e a t , s o t h a t a 3 m w id e s t r ip w ill p ro b a b ly b e s u ff ic ie n t . I n a d d it io n , H T SC c a b le s d o n o t g e n e r a t e a n y m a g n e t ic f ie ld .

i ns tal l ed anywhere else i n t h e worl d .

S u p erc o nduct or s can t r an smi t up t o a t housand t imes mo re elect ricit y t ha n c op p er, the main mat er ia l c u rrentl y used in under grou n d

n i t roge n .

Th e 150 k V c a bl e s c u r re n t ly i n u se re qu i re a st ri p o f s o il o f a t l e a st 12m w i de t o d is s ip a t e t h e h e a t ge n e ra t e d. H T SC c a bl e s c a n be l a i d m u c h c lo s e r t oge t h e r be c a u se t h e y g e n e r a t e

and the length of the relevant cable section generally does not exceed one km. In 2009, a 600m section of HTSC cable was installed in New York, and in 2014 a one-km length of superconducting cable was taken

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A SUPER SOLUTION HTSC cables are already used on a small scale in other countries, but they are usually not part of the meshed high-voltage grid

TENNET into operation in Essen, Germany, to replace a 10 kV mediumvoltage line. The demonstration project to be undertaken by TenneT involves a cable section of two to four km.

The TSO does not expect superconducting cables will be able to be applied in current projects. Further research must be conducted and additional experience gained before such a step can be taken, it suggests.

Initially, it will only be possible to use superconducting cables in sections of up to four km. For the time being, longer sections cannot be realised because of the nitrogen supply required to cool the cable. Superconducting cables are also expensive, costing approximately three times as much as a standard 110 kV or

“Wind and solar generating capacity is expected to rise dramatically, from 4,200 MW today to over 15,000 MW in 2022”

150 kV cables.

However, the technology is developing quickly and it is expected that it will be possible to use them more widely and across longer distances in future, thanks to improved cooling methods and mass production.

Currently, TenneT is determining the location of the first “super cable” – a suitable demonstration site where the cable can be taken into operation for the first time and then the TSO will be able to push ahead with its ground-breaking project.

“This is highly innovative technology,” stresses Mr Kroon. “The results of this demonstration project will show whether cables of this type can be used more widely in future.”

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