Ljubljana, 30 June - At today's meeting of the TEN-E Thematic Group for Smart Grids, assessments of the candidate smart grids projects for the 5th PCI list were presented. The GreenSwitch project, submitted by partners from Austria, Slovenia and Croatia, received a positive assessment and is included in further evaluation process for inclusion on the 5th PCI list.
A consortium of companies from Austria (KNG-Kärnten Netz GmbH), Slovenia (ELES, Elektro Celje, Elektro Gorenjska, Elektro Ljubljana, GEN-I), and Croatia (Croatian Transmission System Operator, HEP Distribution System Operator, Hrvatska elektroprivreda), under the coordination of ELES, have decided to form a joint project aimed at optimizing the use of existing electricity infrastructure and enabling the integration of new technologies and advanced functionalities into transmission and distribution networks in Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. Namely, the partners realized they could solve the challenges associated with integrating an increasing amount of unreliable renewable energy sources efficiently and cost-effectively through cooperation.
Project partners will invest in primary infrastructure and introduce various technologies, platforms, and functionalities to develop smart grids. They will combine this with battery electricity storage systems and highly digitized information systems. As the regulation of consumption and generation is crucial for the future development of the network and coordinated optimization of the transmission and distribution grid, GreenSwitch will enable consumers to become active players in the electricity market.
In addition to the GreenSwitch project, there were four other candidate projects for the 5th Union PCI list in the thematic area of Smart grids. Two of them are already on the fourth PCI list and want to extend their status and three, including GreenSwitch, are new candidates.
The Smart Grids Thematic Group evaluated projects according to the criteria set out in the TEN-E regulation. The key focus was on the contribution of these projects to market integration, sustainability, security of supply and competition from an EU energy policy perspective. The GreenSwitch project received a positive assessment and is included in further evaluation process for inclusion on the 5th PCI list. The announcement of the final fifth list of projects of common interest is expected in November 2021.