IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2015 - 26

Europe's IEM should also bring numerous benefits
for consumers, including greater energy choice, system reliability,
and market transparency.
✔✔ Security: coordinated, reliable, and secure operations

of the electricity transmission network
✔✔ Adequacy: promoting the development of the interconnected European grid and investments for a sustainable power system
✔✔ Market support: offering a platform for the market
by proposing and implementing standardized market
integration and transparency frameworks
✔✔ Sustainability: facilitating secure integration of new
generation sources, particularly growing amounts of
renewable energy and thus the achievement of the
EU's greenhouse-gas reduction goals.
The secure operation of the interconnected European
electricity system and the functioning of the existing crossborder market schemes are the result of close TSOs coordination based on technical rules that were developed over a long
period of time as the result of initiatives targeting the security
of supply. Strong coordination during the different operational
planning phases is the key element in a secure operation.
Today, TSOs coordination spans a wide spectrum of
topics (e.g., outage planning, capacity calculation, load frequency control, and coordinated remedial actions) in different time frames (from long time frames-for instance,
for outage planning-to real-time functions such as load
frequency control) and involves the use of common tools
and data. An increasing volume of data is currently being
exchanged among TSOs to support these various activities,
including network models and real-time measurements.
The larger share of intermittent energy sources in the
generation mix, coupled with the rise of decentralized generation, increases the level of uncertainty in the planning
phase. Strong interdependencies between the different transmission systems and shorter market time intervals require
coordination between operators closer to real time. The priority to strengthen operational coordination at the regional
level is therefore placed on activities whose time frame runs
from a few days before until close to real time.
Due to the differing levels of system design, complexity,
and operational requirements across the European transmission systems, a flexible approach to TSO coordination
is essential. A regional coordination model is therefore the
most efficient way forward following a bottom-up approach
to minimize operational risk within a European ENTSO-E
framework.
Regional security coordination initiatives (RSCIs) represent the building blocks for cross-regional TSO coordination
to ensure consistency and geographic coverage. It is intended
26

ieee power & energy magazine

to establish a new framework through which a basic set of
functions will be organized by existing or new RSCIs; TSOs
will procure the relevant services (basic services) by means
of these RSCIs. The set of basic services will cover the following functions:
✔✔ individual grid model (IGM)/common grid model
(CGM) delivery
✔✔ coordinated capacity calculation
✔✔ coordinated security analysis (including the analysis
of remedial actions)
✔✔ short- and medium-term adequacy
✔✔ outage planning coordination.
In this framework, one TSO may be served from different RSCIs, depending on the service. An all-TSOs multilateral
agreement will be the contractual instrument for the establishment of the framework for TSO coordination. To minimize
operational risk, a regional coordination model using RSCIs
is an efficient way forward and follows a bottom-up approach.

The Results of European Cooperation
Three of the most notable work products of ENTSO-E are the
network codes, pan-European system planning (the TYNDP),
and its R&D road map. They complement each other.

Network Codes
Historically, each European country was governed by its own
set of rules. The electricity sector in Europe is undergoing radical change, however. The European electricity transmission
system continues to operate effectively despite changing electricity generation and consumption patterns, rising fossil fuel
prices, and the greater interconnection of electricity markets.
Regulation (EC) 714/2009 specifically identified the need for
common rules to be put in place for these markets to operate
effectively. These common rules are known as network codes,
and they will become the regulations that will govern all electricity market transactions with a cross-border impact.
ENTSO-E drafts network codes that set out the rules
regarding cross-border issues for operation, connection,
and markets. They are technically detailed and address the
shortest time horizons. The network codes are intended to
complement existing national rules by tackling cross-border
issues in a systematic manner and by creating a coherent and
coordinated framework.
There are three main areas where network codes are required:
✔✔ The connection-related codes cover the connection of
generators to the transmission grid (requirements for
generators) and create rules for taking power from the
january/february 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2015