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Major Projects at ENTSO-E

​​​​​Ten-Year Network Development Plan

ENTSO-E’s Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) identifies the investment needs for the electricity transmission systems at a pan-European scale. The TYNDP package is supported by six detailed Regional Investment Plans as well as the Scenario Outlook and Adequacy Forecast (SO&AF).

The TYNDP ensures greater transparency regarding the entire European electricity transmission network to support decision-making processes at regional and European levels. The plan is also the sole basis for the selection of EU projects of common interest (PCIs). ENTSO-E updates the non-binding TYNDP every two years, continuously improving its methodology.

 

Network Code Development

ENTSO-E’s network codes are a set of rules drafted by ENTSO-E, with guidance from ACER, to facilitate the harmonisation, integration and efficiency of the European electricity market.
Electricity networks operate according to certain rules, which regulate who may use the network to transport electricity across borders and under which conditions. These rules address aspects of network security (ensuring the network works correctly at all times) and interconnection, as well as the access of persons other than the owners of the infrastructure (“third party access”). ENTSO-E’s network codes can thus be grouped in three overarching areas: system connection codes, market codes and system operations codes.

Under development since 2011, each code takes approximately 18 months to complete. Following ACER’s recommendation, each code is submitted to the EC for approval through the Comitology process, to then be voted into EU law and implemented across Member States.

 

Network Code Implementation

To deliver all their potential benefits to European consumers, network codes need to be implemented and complied with across Europe. This represents an important challenge for the European electricity sector as the process towards the full implementation of each network code might require national decisions, regional agreements, and new European common methodologies. All market participants, Distribution System Operators (DSOs), Transmission System Operators (TSOs), and regulators will be involved in the extensive development work and consultation process.

As suggested by regulators, TSOs have decided to begin the early implementation of a number of important projects, which will contribute to a faster delivery of the Internal Energy Market.

 

Common Information Model (CIM)

A seamless and efficient information exchange is necessary in all TSO-related processes at various stages, between an increasing number of companies – TSOs, DSOs, generators etc. ENTSO-E is playing a driving role in establishing, maintaining and further developing such information exchange standards, ensuring that these standards are developed in line with TSO requirements and are compatible with third parties and service providers.

With regards to developing standards for the exchange of data required by deregulated energy markets, ENTSO-E is closely cooperating with organisations like the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), a global organisation that prepares and publishes international standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies. 

In this context, the Common Information Model (CIM) plays an important role. The set of standards is maintained by the IEC. Since 2009, ENTSO-E is organising CIM related interoperability tests to support the development of the IEC standards as well as ENTSO-E Common Grid Model Exchange Standard (CGMES) which is CIM-based data exchange standard. 

 

e-Highway2050

Created to build a modular development plan of the European transmission system for 2050, the e-Highway2050 project started in September 2012 and will end in December 2015. The project consortium is made up of TSOs, Research Institutes, Universities, Industry Associations and a non-governmental organisation. Overall, 15 ENTSO-E TSOs are involved in this project. ENTSO-E is also a project partner.

The central goal of the e-Highway2050 Project is to develop a top-down planning methodology providing a first version of a modular and robust expansion of the Pan-European Network from 2020 to 2050, with a view to meeting the EU energy policy objectives.