Improvements to Baltic Power Systems Will Be Evaluated in Synchronisation Studies

Three Baltic electricity transmission system operators, AS Augstsprieguma tikls (AST) from Latvia, AB Litgrid from Lithuania and AS Elering from Estonia, signed a service contract with consortium of the Continental Europe TSOs for preparation of 5 studies, with the goal to provide recommendations for upgrading the Baltic power systems equipment, automatics and protective schemes to enable secure and stable synchronous operation with the Continental Europe after 2025.

AST, Litgrid and Elering signed the Service Contract with Consortium of the transmission system operators of the Continental Europe (CE TSOs) for the execution of the synchronisation studies that will provide recommendations on necessary upgrades in the Baltic power systems. The studies are expected to be finalized in August 2022 and the total price for the 3 Baltic TSOs is EUR 3,4 million. The studies, prepared by the Consortium, are crucial for the implementation and development of the Baltic power systems synchronisation with the Continental Europe power system. Based on the results and outcomes of the studies future adjustments of equipment in the Baltic power systems, as well as additional measures, not identified and studied previously in the Baltic power systems, will be prepared.

In total, 5 studies will be prepared, including the Dynamic Stability Study and the Oscillatory Stability Study with the full dynamic model of the Baltic and Continental Europe, the Isolated Operation Study, the Frequency Stability Assessment System study, as well as the Load-Frequency Controller implementation study for the Baltic power systems. The list of the above-mentioned synchronisation studies is identified in the  Annex II of the CFI Agreement (Agreement on the conditions of the future interconnection of power system of Baltic States and power system of Continental Europe), concluded on 27th  May 2019 among the Baltic and CE TSOs, the members of the Regional Group Continental Europe (RGCE) and European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E).

The Studies, necessary for the synchronisation, have been identified by RGCE to ensure that the synchronous interconnection of the Baltic Power System contributes to the security and reliability of the Continental Europe power systems and are crucial in order to evaluate the Baltic power systems ability to fulfil all technical requirements set forth in the ENTSO-E network  codes and Synchronous Area Framework Agreement (SAFA).

The synchronisation studies will be executed by a consortium of CE TSOs, involved the TSOs from Poland (Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne S.A.), Germany (50Hertz Transmission GmbH and Amprion GmbH), and Serbia (SC Elektromreža Srbije). The decision to engage a consortium of the CE TSOs as a provider for the studies, by the recommendation of ENTSO-E, is motivated by the deep, specific and special knowledge on the operation of the Continental Europe power system that makes CE TSOs the major source of competence for the Studies and consultancy to evaluate the fulfilment of the requirements specified in the Catalogue of Measures of the CFI Agreement.