The transmission system operators (TSO) from Continental Europe announced fulfilment of the technical preconditions for restoring commercial allocation of cross-border capacities on the cross-border profile with the Ukraine (in particular HU/UA, SK/UA, RO/UA, RO/MD).
The experience in the synchronous operation shows the generation sources on the territory of the Ukraine and Moldova operate in a stable manner according to the dispatcher instructions.
On 29 June 2022 (trading day of 30 June 2022), allocation of cross-border capacities on the Ukraine-Romania cross-border profile was restored as the first one. Slovenská elektrizačná prenosová sústava, a.s. (SEPS) plans restoration of trading in electricity on the common Ukraine-Slovakia cross-border profile on 6. July 2022 (business day of 7 July 2022), later the auctions will be restored on the Ukraine-Hungary and Moldova-Romania profiles.
Allocation of cross-border capacities on the Ukraine-Slovakia profile will be carried out exclusively on the basis of daily unilateral auctions in compliance with the actually valid rules for daily auctions on the Ukraine-Slovakia profile[1].
The total trading capacity for all daily auctions organized on the profiles between the Ukraine/Moldova and the transmission systems of Continental Europe will be limited to 100 MW for import and export direction in the first phase. The capacity amount for the auction on the Ukraine-Slovakia profile for the initial phase will be set at the level of 50 MW both for import and export direction. Following this initial phase, it is foreseen progressive increase of the total available trading capacity based on assessment of impact of business exchanges on stability and security of synchronously interconnected systems which will be performed by TSOs on a continuous basis.
After adoption of the required legislative changes and technical modifications on the Ukrainian and Slovak side, a transition for capacity allocation by JAO (Joint Allocation Office) is planned. The transition to a single, harmonized form of auctions organized by JAO is declared as a target solution for organizing auctions on the Ukraine/Moldova profiles and the transmission systems of the Continental Europe.
“Unless other unforeseeable circumstances or non-agreement upon the joint procedure of the participating TSOs occurs, we expect transition into joint auction at the end of the second or third quarter 2023,“ Peter Dovhun, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of SEPS stated. Ukrenergo has already made particular steps and asked JAO for allocation of sources for design and implementation of a new service.
This important step implemented less than four months following the emergency synchronization proves strong determination of European TSOs to support the Ukraine at restoring its power system.
[1] The rules of daily auctions of free tradeable transmission capacities on the SK – UA cross-border transmission profile organized unilaterally by Slovenská elektrizačná prenosová sústava, a.s. (hereinafter referred to as “SEPS”), are available here: https://www.sepsas.sk/en/services/auction/profile-sk-ua/
Additional information:
At present, the transmission systems of the Ukraine and Moldova are operated synchronously with the systems of the Continental Europe countries. Emergency synchronization which was technically successfully implemented on 16 March 2022, contributed to increase of reliability of the interconnected system operation and electricity supply, however, it resulted in limitation of the commercial exchange in electricity on the common cross-border profiles. In order to provide for safety of operation of the synchronously interconnected systems, the net transmission capacity (NTC) values between the transmission systems of the Ukraine and Moldova and the neighbouring TSOs were set to zero in both directions.
The transmission system operators of the Ukraine (Ukrenergo) and Moldova (Moldelectrica) have successfully taken inevitable technical measures to allow commercial exchanges between the Ukraine/Moldova and the transmission systems of the Continental Europe, in particular:
- measures aimed at oscillation damping,
- introduction of coordinated safety analyses,
- implementation of measures from so called “Catalogue of Measures”,
- harmonization of processes of billing and financial settlement of frequency deviation,
- obtaining access to the special warning system,
- elaboration of a re-synchronization procedure.
On 27 June, by the decision of PPS RGCE (Regional Group Continental Europe), fulfilment of all technical preconditions was confirmed. This step caused removal of the most significant barrier for restoration of trading or commercial exchanges between the Ukraine/Moldova and synchronously interconnected systems of the Continental Europe.
Currently, last negotiations covering setting of cross-border capacity allocation processes are running. They are aimed at just and transparent setting of the transition conditions of redistribution and allocation of capacities which will be applied during the period of approx. one year. Subsequently, a temporary solution should be replaced by more sophisticated procedures for calculation and especially allocation of transmission capacities in the form of standardized auctions organized by the JAO auction office. Restoration of trading exclusively in the form of a daily auction is assumed in the following sequence:
- UA – RO: Restoration of trading on 29/06 for the trading day 30/06
- SK – UA: Restoration of trading on 06/07 for the trading day 07/07
- HU – UA: Within horizon of approx. 3-4 months
- PL – UA: Within horizon of approx. 6+ months
Slovenská elektrizačná prenosová sústava, a. s., performs the activities of the transmission system operator and provides for electricity transmission through its 400 kV and 220 kV lines on the territory of Slovakia. SEPS guarantees safe and reliable operation of the transmission system, even power balance between production and consumption in real time, it provides for cross-border electricity transmission, and it is responsible for precise measurement of the transmitted electricity. SEPS operates total of 2,356 km of 400 kV voltage level lines, 690 km of 220 kV lines and 22 substations. The Slovak Republic represented by the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic is the sole shareholder of SEPS. SEPS is a member of the international group of the European Network of the Transmission System Operators for Electricity ENTSO-E, it actively supports market integration and cross-border cooperation with the neighbouring transmission systems. From 16 February 2021, the company General Director is Ing. Peter Dovhun.