“There can be no transition without transmission,” Manos Manousakis, Chairman and CEO of Greek electricity grid operator Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO), said at the General Assembly of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), highlighting the importance of developing more grids to take full advantage of green energy.
At the ENTSO-E General Assembly held in Athens at the 15th anniversary of the association, the IPTO CEO said that Europe needs a dedicated EU strategy that gives clear guidance and fit-for-purpose tools to design and deliver transcontinental interconnections and that in order to build an EU grid, operators need to think in EU terms.
According to Manousakis, Europe needs at least five new electricity transmission corridors for a core integrated EU system and European operators should plan horizontal and vertical electricity transmission corridors at a pan-European level, with at least three vertical corridors – between the North and the South – and two horizontal corridors – between the East and the West.
“The message is clearer than ever: There can be no transition without transmission. We need more grids to take full advantage of green energy and to boost our energy security. And we need them now to get there. Step number one is to bring planning up to date, as the International Energy Agency puts it,” Manousakis said.
The work on the Offshore Network Development Plans represents an excellent example of how to think of and design the integrated electricity system of the future, he said, adding that events like the High-Level Forum on Electricity Grids organized by ENTSO-E last September in Brussels must take place at least once a year as an opportunity to take stock of the progress made and navigate together to make sure the energy system becomes greener, and more secure, integrated and resilient.
“And, as the event clearly showed, everybody needs to do their part. Policymakers, regulators, and financiers need to support us by reducing red tape to overcome manufacturing shortages secure and mobilize the necessary financial capabilities,” Manousakis said.
“From our side, the TSOs, we must improve operational practices and embrace new technologies to build trust and attract investments.”
ENTSO-E has recently set out to work together with Europacable, representing Europe’s leading wire and cable producers, and T&D Europe, representing Europe’s grid technology providers, to ensure the timely build-out of Europe’s transmission grids for the energy transition.
This is planned to be done by increasing efficiency, speeding up grid deployment and reducing redundancies in the planning and execution of high-voltage land and subsea grid projects in the interest of European consumers, by using the opportunities existing digitalization solutions offer.