The long-term power system adequacy analysis of the Baltic countries, which has been carried out for the first time by the electricity transmission system operators of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, has shown that the existing double-circuit Lithuanian-Polish power interconnection could be sufficient for the synchronisation of Baltic power systems, after the system is prepared and tested to operate in isolated mode. Moreover, according to the analysis, new reliable and flexibly operating power plants should be built in the Baltic States in eight years to ensure the smooth operation of power systems and the security of supply. The Lithuanian Minister of Energy, Žygimantas Vaičiūnas, says that many inefficient and uncompetitive power plants in the Baltic countries will be closed in the next period and we must agree and decide at the regional level on new reliable, flexible and efficient power generation sources. “We are faced with two alternatives – either to build these sources on a market basis or through state subsidies. The current situation on the market is not encouraging the development of new generation sources, while making a decision on subsidisation is always complicated, therefore, we must prepare for serious discussions”, he underlined. The available data shows that new power generation sources to be built in the Baltic countries by 2032 will have a total capacity of just 272 MW, compared with a total capacity of 2 315 MW of power plants scheduled for closure by this time. CEO of Litgrid AB, a CEEP member, Daivis Virbickas, declares that “beyond 2025, the demand of the Baltic power system reserve will increase from 700 MW to 2 000 MW. In [...]
NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS BELECTRIC GmbH, key shareholder of Si Power S.A., connected its state-of-the-art, cost-effective battery storage system, the Energy Buffer Unit, at the solar power plant Alt Daber in Brandenburg. It thereby became the first solar power plant in Europe capable of providing operating reserve at high-voltage level comparable to conventional plants. The innovative lead-acid storage device with a capacity of 2,000 kWh is intended for use in both renewable energy and conventional power plants. The storage device lends greater flexibility to the plant’s service provision and actively stabilizes the energy grid. With its long service life and low cycle costs, BELECTRIC GmbH’s Energy Buffer Unit sets a milestone in the cost-effective and sustainable provision of system services. “In the future, solar power plants will take over the functions of the most sophisticated network control,” explains Bernhard Beck, CEO of BELECTRIC GmbH. “In conjunction with storage devices, they make an important contribution to the adaptation of the energy supply and grid stability to the requirements of the energy transition.” Connected to an Energy Buffer Unit “Made in Germany,” solar and wind farms become hybrid plants in which volatile energy sources assume responsibility for the system and contribute to fluctuation compensation. The must-run capacities of conventional power plants can be reduced and replaced by renewable energies equipped with the Energy Buffer Units. Albrecht Gerber, Minister for Economic Affairs of the State of Brandenburg, declared at the inauguration in Potsdam: “The development of storage technologies is a central prerequisite for the success of the energy transition. Further research is urgently needed. With our Energy Storage Initiative, we seek to [...]
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