Current challenges for the European Interconnected System and Situation Awareness in Transmission System Operation

During the past couple of years, the complexity of transmission system operation has increased significantly. Along with the liberalization of the electricity markets a broad range of new, varying tasks have arisen and with this a significant increase of interfaces which the operators in control centres have to cope with. Furthermore the substantial growth of volatile wind and PV energy sources and large-scale energy trades across wide-areas lead to frequently changing load flow situations. As a consequence of these huge load flows, the transmission system is more frequently operated ever closer to its security limits. This situation is further aggravated by recent developments as the so called Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Moratorium in Germany came in effect as a reaction to the Japanese disaster in Fukushima. The following paper will provide an overview of the current challenges facing Amprion, a German Transmission System Operator in Central Europe, and will present examples of solution approaches, in which the European interconnected electricity system plays a major role and has to be taken into account.