European Super Grid – Moving Transmission Systems Towards A Decarbonized And Integrated Europe

The electricity generated at power plants needs to be supplied to the distribution utilities for which a robust transmission network is very essential. The transmission network in Europe works as a single grid with all major countries connected to each other delivering electric power at high voltages ranging from 220 kV to 1,000 kV. A well connected and upgraded transmission network is very essential as some countries in Europe are trying to phase out thermal & nuclear plants and completely adopt renewable energy for electricity generation. Germany’s energy regulator has given a nod to one such project in which high voltage lines will send wind power from the North Sea to southwest consumers in Germany which will help phase out nuclear plants till 2022 and good connectivity will help supplying clean electricity to consumers.

COVID-19 to have an impact on fresh investments in power transmission in Europe, commissioning of new power transmission lines likely to be affected

For better connectivity, new inter and intra country transmission networks are being proposed, such initiatives bring business opportunities for many value chain players in the transmission sector. Over USD 15 billion is estimated to be invested in the coming decade for the national electricity grid in Italy. United Kingdom to see the largest fresh investments in power transmission segment as record-breaking 5.4 GW wind capacity successfully awarded in 2019. In countries like Estonia, Latvia & Belarus opportunity scale for transmission projects is USD 365.48 Million, the Grid up-gradation project in Slovakia & Czech Republic brings the opportunity of USD 103 Million which are some eye-catching projects in Europe. There are few other transmission projects like in Slovenia having an opportunity size of USD 54.60 Million and in Bulgaria & Greece catering to an opportunity worth USD 32.43 Million.

European Grid, is a possible future super grid that would ultimately interconnect the various European countries and the regions around Europe’s borders at high voltage HVDC network lines – including Kazakhstan, Morocco, Mauritania, Egypt, Scandinavia and Iceland with the specific purpose of enabling renewable energy to reliably delivered from these areas and to utilize only existing hydro power as balancing.

Benefits of Super Grid -

• A cross-border energy network would have a number of benefits, including improved energy security, grid decentralization, and the improved uptake of renewable energy technologies;
• The most significant benefit would be the pooling of the entire renewable energy resource of the European continent. This would reduce intermittency by smoothing supply and demand issues, while also providing a huge amount of reserve;
• Lower the cost of power in all participating countries by allowing the entire region to share the most efficient power plants;
• Pool load variability and power station unreliability, reducing the margin of inefficient spinning reserve and standby that have to be supplied
• Allow for wider use of renewable energy particularly wind energy;
• Allow wide sharing of total European hydropower resource which is about 6 weeks of full load European output;
• Decrease Europe’s dependence on imported fuels;
  

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Modernization of the power transmission lines is the key to create a pathway for the effective integration of the renewable capacity - With European market is looking for expanding the renewable capacity into the power generation mix with the majority of countries targeting more than 50% of the power generation through renewable resource by 2030, the transmission operators are going for modernization of power grid for effective integration of the renewable capacity.