System Development Committee

A fundamental role of the Transmission System Operators (TSOs) is to plan and develop a secure, efficient and economic electricity transmission system. This involves ensuring a consistently high level of power quality, making sure that security standards are met and, where appropriate, researching and deploying novel technologies.

The ENTSO-E Secretariat’s System Development team has a supporting role for one of the four ENTSO-E committees, namely the System Development Committee (SDC) as well as all of the associated Working and Regional Groups and the Grid Connection European Stakeholder Committee (GC ESC).

The SDC, chaired by Gerald Kaendler from Amprion, Germany is in charge of TSO co-operation regarding the network development and planning. Its main mission is to co-ordinate the development of a secure, environmentally sustainable and economic transmission system with the aim of creating a robust European grid which can facilitate the creation of a well-functioning European electricity market and, from the planning point of view, a high standard of interoperability, reliability and security.

Key areas of work for the SDC include:

• Ten-Year Network Development Planning and Regional Investment Plans
• Scenario Building
• European Resource Adequacy Assessment (ERAA)
• Seasonal Outlooks
• Connection Network Codes
• Data Models - Market and Networks
• Asset Implementation and Management

The Ten-Year Network Development Plan

​Timely and well-planned development of new network infrastructure is crucial in achieving the European internal energy market, as well as allowing for the integration of an ever increasing amount of renewable energy, and meeting the challenge of more dispersed on- and offshore energy sources which need to be connected with major demand centres. This is why EU legislation has mandated ENTSO-E with the delivery of a biennial Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP), the first pilot of which was released in 2010.

The TYNDP identifies gaps in infrastructure from a European perspective and informs decision-makers in Member States and other stakeholders about projects with a pan-European impact.

The TYNDP builds on national and regional investment plans. ENTSO-E has formed six regional groups to identify and address network investment and development challenges reflecting regional particularities and needs.​

ENTSO-E continuously seeks to improve the level of detail and sophistication of the TYNDP. These constant efforts aim to ensure that ENTSO-E’s TYNDP remains the key tool for network investment decision-making.

Visit TYNDP site

European Resource Adequacy Assessments and Seasonal Outlooks

System adequacy is the ability for a power system to meet demand at all times and thus to guarantee the security of the supply. Currently, two adequacy forecast reports are published by ENTSO-E, each one with a specific time horizon:

ENTSO-E European Resource Adequacy Assessments (ERAA) is a pan-European monitoring assessment of power system resource adequacy of up to 10 years ahead and is the successor of the Mid-term Adequacy Assessments (MAF). It is based upon a state-of-the-art probabilistic analysis, aiming to model and analyse possible events with potentially adverse consequences for the supply of electric power and will be the central reference point to take qualified decisions on strategic matters such as the introduction of capacity mechanisms (CMs). Visit ERAA site

ENTSO-E Winter and Summer Outlooks focus on exploring the main risks identified within a seasonal period, highlighting the possibilities for neighbouring countries to contribute to the generation/demand balance in critical situations. These reports consider uncertainties such as climatic conditions and outages, as well as other risks incurred by the system including the evolution of load, load-management, generation capacities, and stability issues

The purpose of seasonal outlooks is to provide a platform for information exchange amongst TSOs and market stakeholders, promote discussion on transparency, and inform stakeholders on the potential system risks so appropriate decisions can be made on topics such as maintenance schedules, postponement in decommissioning, and stakeholder awareness about levels of adequacy.

Visit Outlooks page

Data Models - Market and Networks

The integration of large amounts of renewable energy sources, the completion of the internal electricity market, as well as new storage technologies, demand side response, digital revolution and evolving energy policies require continuous update of the input data and assumptions.

Enhanced pan European consistency is being striven in all datasets. This concerns mainly the following area:

• Demand modelling;
• Generation modelling, including wind and PV;
• Storage modelling, especially hydro storage;
• Transmission capacity;
• Network modelling

Asset Implementation and Management

The objective of the Working Group Asset Implementation and Management (WG AIM) is to develop and coordinate recommendations in relation to asset implementation and management, to support the implementation of assets identified in the development plans, and to promote new technologies for existing grids.

Asset management is one of the core business activities of transmission system operators. It focuses on maintaining healthy, robust and cost effective network infrastructures and ensuring high security of power supply. This activity has a significant impact on the system investment and operation, which accounts for 85% of annual expenditure.

Asset Management is defined as the systematic and coordinated activities and practices through which a TSO optimally develops and manages its assets and their associated performance, risks and expenditures over their lifecycle to fulfil the requirements and needs of grid users in a safe, secure, sustainable, environmental and efficient manner.

Key areas of work for WG AIM are:

• Find harmonised positions on asset implementation and management issues including permitting procedure and environmental requirements and standards

• Propose position papers for advocating on European legislation initiatives regarding above mentioned asset implementation and management topics

• Promote information exchanges on best practices and experiences

• Identify opportunities and risks associated with new technologies in close relationship with the Research and Innovation activities

• Benchmark and review current experience on asset implementation and management including comparison of maintenance strategies, permitting procedures and environmental requirements For more information please contact us: info@entsoe.eu

Related Links and Documents

• Report on the Usage of drones
  Download report

• Guide for implementing Directive 2013/35/EU on the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from physical agents (electromagnetic fields) - intended to help European TSOs to implement the Directive. The objective is to explain how to assess exposure and to evaluate compliance, and to indicate the most critical situations for transmission activities and formulate possible measures to be taken.
  Download report

• Real-life implementation of electricity projects of common interest – best practices.
  This report is based on expert knowledge, a survey of selected PCI projects that are close to construction or in the permission process, and real-life experiences of TSOs in implementing other transmission projects.
  It provide examples of best practices in public consultation and consent for real-life project implementation and summarises key recommendations to the Infrastructure Forum and TSOs.
  Download report

Position papers

• Position Paper on the proposed revision to the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive, 2011

• ENTSO-E Position Paper on the Draft “EC Regulation on fluorinated greenhouse gases- dated 7/11/2012

• ENTSO-E position paper on the proposal of the European Commission for a revised Directive 2011/92/EU on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (COM/2012/628)

• ENTSO-E position paper on the European Commission Eco-design regulation on large power transformers, 2013

SDC Meeting Documents