12.09.2022
Plea for European cooperation to develop all offshore potential in the Baltic Sea
With regard to the discourse on how to efficiently develop the large offshore wind energy potential of the Baltic Sea of more than 90 gigawatts, 50Hertz publishes a position paper under the sign of political, economic and technical "interconnection". So-called "interconnected" direct current grids offer considerable savings potential for costs as well as emissions due to a more efficient use of material and technology. At the same time, the negative impact on the marine space is considerably lower in comparison to duplicate structures. However, the path to these systems is not easy, neither technically, nor regulatory, nor politically.
With the position paper "Advantages of an interconnected offshore grid in the Baltic Sea", 50Hertz contributes to the discussion on its success. In it, 50Hertz presents a number of proposals, including legal regulations for hybrid offshore systems, greater standardization in technology, more flexibility in planning and approval procedures, and the inclusion of forward-looking investment planning in national and European regulatory systems.
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05.09.2022
Long version of extraordinary analyses winter 2022/2023 available online
Following a request from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), the four German transmission system operators (TSOs) 50Hertz, Amprion, TenneT and TransnetBW carried out analyses relating to the projected electricity supply during the winter of 2022/23. The goal of these analyses was to verify whether Germany’s total electricity demand will be covered next winter at all times during the day (demand balancing) ) and whether grid security (transmission adequacy) will be ensured.
The analyses focused on the exploration of three different scenarios, each with increasingly critical assumptions (scenario +, ++, +++). The conclusion reached was that, regardless of the scenario, the situation next winter will be tense and that it will not always be possible to cover the entirety of the required demand on the European electricity market. In the two more critical scenarios (++, +++), loss of load occurs at some times in Germany .. Grid security will also be put to the test during the coldest months of the year. Under all three scenarios, the conclusion reached was that domestic redispatch potentials will not always suffice to manage grid congestion.
As a last resort and in cases where grid stability is at risk, there could therefore be brief, regional and controlled electricity shutdowns in certain areas of Germany during the winter months. In principle, such controlled shutdowns will be announced ahead of time and will be non-discriminatory. They therefore could affect both companies and households alike.
Following their research, and to reduce the risk of any temporary load shedding, the TSOs proposed a bundle of measures to increase the electricity generation and transmission capacity to the Federal Government. These measures include increasing transport capacities, organizing a sufficient supply of fuels, using all available generation capacities and prolonging the closing down of nuclear power plants that are still connected to the grid. The more of these proposed measures are implemented, the more positive the effect on the supply situation in the coming winter.
Short-term legislative or governmental action is required for each of these measures to be taken. The four TSOs are currently in close and regular contact with the BMWK and the BNetzA, and will continue to provide them with their technical expertise.
Download "Special Analyses Winter 2022/2023 - Results & Recommendations" (English Version)