| Build, build, build… |
| 13-04-2010 |
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A National Benchmark was published by the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) for the first time at the end of February this year. Lack of reliable data from previous periods does not allow for analysing changes to the national power system in the context of reliability and safe operation of the system. Due to the fact that information concerning the condition of the power grid is very important both to electricity consumers and producers, further benchmarking reports will be subject to annual PWEA analyses.
However, it is possible to compare indices characterising the quality of electricity in Poland with other EU Member States. Such an approach is possible and legitimate because the ERO report is based on commonly approved international standards allowing for comparing electricity quality indices in grids managed by different operators. The index commonly deemed to be the best measure of grid infrastructure is the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI)1, calculated in the EU in accordance with uniform rules. German operators pave the way The latest available German report demonstrates that the number of grid failures in Germany in 2008 dropped to historically low level, best among all EU operators. As quoted by the Federal Grid Agency, in 2008 an electricity consumer in Germany was offline only for 17 minutes on average. In accordance with the ERO report, in 2008 in Poland the SAIDI index was 329 minutes per consumer per year. Such a disproportion is not surprising to anyone aware of the technical condition of the Polish power system. Unfortunately, disastrous condition of our grids is clearly visible when compared to any of the EU Member States. Worse situation is only in Finland. Left to right: Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Poland Source: PWEA own work on the basis of CEER, FNN\VDE, ERO. Interruptions in electricity supply Europe in minutes as measured by the SAIDI index. Wind power development does not undermine grid reliability Outstanding indices for German operators are particularly surprising in the context of very high wind penetration. Currently Germany reached the level of 26 000 MW of installed wind capacity, with approximately 2000 MW of new capacity installed in 2009. Wind power covers more than 7.5% of German electricity demand. On the other hand, grid infrastructure quality indices are continuously improving. Moreover, further government plans for the development of the sector provide for doubling installed capacity in the sector. Brandenburg alone is planning to install 7 500 MW in wind turbines by 2020. Those plans are to be implemented without significant deterioration in the quality, condition and safety of the grid’s operation. Voices that the German power system “is already crumbling” due to high wind penetration are false. However, it is a fact that wind power is a new technology that requires actions and investments not necessary in the traditional power sector to date. Therefore, catastrophic information published by the Polish transmission grid operator concerning the potential consequences of wind power development in Poland above the level of 6-8 thousand MW prove only that the actual threat to the safe operation of the Polish power system is only the lack of necessary investments in the modernisation and development of the National Power System, absolutely indispensable already today. Operators’ passivity in taking effective action to improve the condition of the infrastructure is beyond comprehension in this context. PSE-Operator’s information about building approximately 300 km of extra high voltage lines in the recent years should rather be the reason for dismissal of the management of the national operator rather than proud. Obviously, there is more than one guilty. The charge of wrong ERO policy concerning including grid investment costs in the tariffs commonly raised by the operators will soon strike those, whom the ERO is trying to protect with such a policy – the consumers. Long lasting interruptions in the supply of electricity already became a fixed element of winter months, in particular in rural areas. However, most of the losses caused by grid failures and lack of supply of electricity to consumers stem from many years of wrong energy policy of the government applicable to the plans and investment needs of grid operators. More than 10 years of fighting for an act securing right of way for line investments, marginal consideration of investment needs in project co-financing plans from the national /NFEP/ and EU funds, lack of effective mechanisms for controlling implementation of investment plans assumed by the operators are only some of the examples of nonfeasance. The Poland’s Energy policy until 2030 recently approved by the government harbours no illusions. The issue of necessary National Power System modernisations is discussed in 3 /say: three/ general, non-substantial sentences. Is it possible to achieve the German indices in the National Power System? In accordance with the data presented in the reply of Undersecretary of the State, Mrs Joanna Strzelec-Łobodzińska to the parliamentary question of Mr Andrzej Szlachta, MP, dated 16 December 2009, grid modernisation needs in Poland as of today are estimated at PLN 60 billion; whereas, as it stems from the contents of the parliamentary question, distribution companies Poland allocate approximately PLN 3 billion per year to grid investments. Alas, significant part of that amount is allocated to execution of interconnection agreements; only approximately PLN 1 billion is allocated to development and modernisation of the power grid. If infrastructure expenditures do not increase significantly within the years to come, we will need more than fifty years to reach the condition of the network our Western neighbour has today! The only effective way to prevent a disaster in the Polish power system is to immediately allocate significant funding from the budget, EU and private funds and to immediately implement legal solutions allowing for effective construction of new power lines. It is impossible to charge the burden related to the reconstruction of obsolete power grid to consumers in the tariffs. Coordination of such activities must be vested in the Ministry of Economy, whereas legal and administrative framework should be developed at the level of particular provinces. Wind power may become a serious ally to those actions, for it is the very part if the generation sector plagued by poor grid infrastructure. Incorporation of wind farm investors in the grid planning and construction process will allow for exploiting the tremendous interest in the Polish wind power sector. Instead of complaining about excessive numbers of wind power investors, let’s use the determination and efficiency as well as money of private entrepreneurs also to improve the Polish power system. To all whom it may concern: information about the actual condition of the National Power System and related potential for connecting wind farms to the National Power System will be one of the many issues discussed during the Power Engineering session of the Vth PWEA „Wind Energy Market in Poland” Conference, 19 April 2010, Hilton Hotel, Warsaw. * SAIDI counts the average duration of an interruption in minutes per consumer, taking into account interruptions in the supply of electricity lasting more than 3 minutes. |
