Post by Amprion GmbH

Amprion connects – that’s our mission statement. But how do we TSOs interconnect Europe’s power system? On Europe Day on 9 May, we elaborated the background of our deep-rooted European identity. Today, we look at the practicalities of interconnecting our networks across Europe.    Through cross-border power lines, we connect Germany with our European neighbors – for secure power flows, a well-functioning energy market, and cooperation in effectively integrating renewable energies. To this end, we build “electricity bridges” across borders that make national grids more secure and lower electricity prices in Europe as power demand can be met more efficiently. We operate so-called interconnectors to Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland. 🤝 In a joint project with our colleagues at Elia Group, we have put the European integration of the power system into practice. ALEGrO: 90 km, approx. 1,000 MW, connection Aachen–Liège. It plays an important role for relieving grid congestion and lifting synergies. Such international cooperation projects are not planned in isolation but are the result of holistic and cooperative long-term planning. Cooperation is crucial for the success of the energy transition. Together with the whole European TSO family, we collaborate on the Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP). This plan serves as an instrument to identify Europe’s grid expansion needs, where we act as data provider, analyst, and project initiator. It is developed under the umbrella of ENTSO-E, the TSO association based in Brussels, bringing together 41 transmission system operators from across Europe. It is our framework to coordinate grid operation and expansion, market integration and digital solutions at the European level. Next month we will have a closer look in our control room, one of the engines of the synchronized European power system.