Accommodating a Growing Share of Electricity Generated by RES

Hubert Lemmens

Chief Innovation Officer

Amsterdam 15 October 2013

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Ownership

Elia• 100% of 380-150kV network• 94% of high voltage network (70-30kV)

50Hertz• 100% of 380-220kV network

34% of the German 380kV network 19% owner of the German 220kV network

Age of networks

Elia• Less than 15 years for 50% of underground cables• Less than 25 years for 50% of lines & substations

50Hertz• Around 10 years for 90% of the network (refurbished

after German reunification in 1989)

Elia Group - reliable and resilient networks

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Elia + 50Hertz Transmission = Top 5 in Europe

Elia Group

110-380 kV lines and cables 13,431 km

30 tot70 kV lines and cables 4,800 km

Substations 872

Served territory (km2) ~ 143,000

Direct consumers ~ 130

Inhabitants > 30m

Staff (FTE) ~ 1,900

Regulated Asset Base (RAB) € 5,843m

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Grid development: interconnections for market convergence and RES integration

Elia TSO – investments 2013 – 2022

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Reinforcement North borderAdditional PST, second circuit Gramme-Van Eyck

Decentralised production Meer, Rijkevorsel, Merksplas

Project Brabo in port of AntwerpReinforcement Baekeland-Mercator-Doel

Reinforcement “East loop” onshore wind

Reinforcement South border

Project Stevin for shore reinforcement

Onshore: Major projects Offshore

• Investment around € 2,0 billion over the coming 10 years in the onshore grid• Offshore grid investment amounts potentially up to € 1,0 billion, first investments foreseen in 2013• Main risk: NIMBY effect on permitting and timing.

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50Hertz – investments 2013 – 2022

Onshore Offshore – Baltic Sea

• Investment around € 4,0 billion in the grid over the coming 10 years, spread over onshore (+/- 55%) and offshore (45%) projects

• Offshore projects are mainly Baltic 2, Wikinger, Arkona-Becken Sudost

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Germany: Ten Year Grid Plan

Onshore

German ten year grid development plan

• Cooperation 4 German TSO’s for one grid development plan for Germany, accepted by BNetzA & Bundesrat

• Measures to optimize existing routes

• Grid expansion in new routes, including DC corridors

• Total investment value foreseen at € 16,5 billion, of which € 4,6 billion is relating to DC corridors (A,C & D)

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Figure 1

Baltic C

able

50Hertz: First Offshore GridKriegers Flak Combined Grid Solution

Project of European significance

• Off-shore interconnection between Danish and German wind farms

• Blueprint for North Sea offshore grid with• HVDC: ca. 600 MW, cable of 90km• HVAC: ca. 400 MW, cable of 30 km

• Several added values for both countries- integration of RES- market development- secure system operation

First HVDC offshore-grid in the world

• up to 6000 MW wind production• 2000 MW interconnector for 4 states

• Participation: Eurogrid International (10%)

• Partners: Google, Marubeni, Bregal Energy and Atlantic Grid Developers

• Technological challenges under development:

- Multiterminal HVDC node

- HVDC circuit breaker

• Regulatory framework with FERC and PJM

USA: Atlantic Wind Connection

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Balancing: Increased need for flexibility to cope with variable RES infeed

Physical reality

Max-min generation : 23 GW

Forecast – actual: 5 GW

Forecast – actual : 2 GW

Delta peak in 1 week: 9 GW

In Belgium:Wind ~1400 MWPV ~2200 MW

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Low wind conditions (Germany)

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Flexibility will be needed and Valued!

Examples: important differences between minimal and maximal generation from intermittent sources

TSOs need flexibility to keep the balance between supply and demand, by mobilizing all potential sources of flexibility within the grid, generation and the demand side!

In the real-time balancing market In the Intraday market Outside the balancing market, but in

timeframes between DAY AHEAD and REALTIME: Potential for strategic reserves

1 week wind generation in Germany

1 week solar generation in Belgium

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Possible solutions:working on different axis

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Improve System Imbalances at the source (BRP):• Single marginal imbalance tariff since 01/01/2012• Enhance balancing publications: e.g. wind and solar forecastings• Continued market integration (NWE intraday, etc.)• Etc.

Diversify assets providing balancing services:• In 2013 - R1/R2 contracts revised to allow a variety of assets• Load participating in supply of primary control (2013)• Participation of aggregators in the supply of interruptible load (2013) • RES, • Storage

Realise XB-synergies:• Participation of BE to iGCC (imbalance netting with 6 countries incl. DE)• Intensive participation in the Network code drafting team• Study into potential BE-NL XB synergies (with Tennet NL)• Further investigations for iGCC evolutions• Etc.

Elia Group Innovation Priorities

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Smart Regulation needed

• Current regulation remunerates assets, the hardware

• System operation (the software): creates value for the market players

• No return to System operators for the efforts they undertake

• Need to evolve to incentive regulation sharing the benefits between market players and System Operators

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Conclusions

• Infrastructure developments face two main challenges:–Fair return on investments–Permits

• Market requires new technologies and sophisticated services:–HVDC, meshed offshore grids–Full flexible EU markets, close to real time gate closure–But maintaining high level of reliability.

• Innovation in System operation is key:–Novel business models–Long term incentives for innovation–Smart regulation

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Thank you !

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