21, rue d’Artois, F-75008 PARIS C1-207 CIGRE 2012 http : //www.cigre.org Co-development of the Mediterranean transmission grids L. IMAZ MONFORTE, M. CELOZZI, A. BARDACH, J. KOWAL, Ph. ADAM1 MEDGRID France SUMMARY This paper gives first a brief history of the development studies of the Mediterranean transmission grid, and a brief summary of the conclusions of the most recent project studies in the region. Then the paper introduces the Medgrid industrial initiative which aims to promote and facilitate the development of the Mediterranean transmission system to support the implementation of the Mediterranean Solar Plan and to contribute to the recent objectives of the European Commission regarding renewable energies. In connection with other initiatives interested in the development of power exchanges between the countries of the South and East of the Mediterranean and Europe, Medgrid proposes a global approach to coordinate the future transmission infrastructure projects around and through the Mediterranean. This global approach adds value to the bilateral initiatives to build new transmission facilities across the sea, by assessing and comparing the feasibility and profitability of all the possible transmission infrastructure corridors and projects in the Mediterranean region. Medgrid aims to elaborate a Mediterranean grid development plan for the 2020-2025 time horizon which is the horizon set up by the Mediterranean Solar Plan to reach 5 GW exports from the countries of the South and East of the Mediterranean to Europe, out of 20 GW of renewable energy to be generated in these countries. To achieve this Mediterranean grid development plan, Medgrid is considering the national demand profiles and power generation mixes of all the countries, and the potential benefits resulting from power exchanges between these countries, should the appropriate transmission infrastructures exist. The gains on the global generation mix are compared with the cost of investment and operation of new transmission infrastructures which are necessary to make those gains possible. As a result, Medgrid will propose a list of infrastructures whose expected gains justify their development costs. Several scenarios of evolution of the costs of conventional and renewable energy generation are considered, and an original approach is followed to consider grid corridors rather than individual transmission infrastructure projects. KEYWORDS: MEDGRID, Mediterranean Solar Plan, HVDC, grid master plan, corridor. 1 [email protected] V2 1. A brief history of the development of the Mediterranean grid The electric interconnection between Europe and the countries of the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea is this ancient idea of a large electric ring around our “Mare Nostrum”. In the year 2000 the study of the Mediterranean electric ring (MEDRING) was launched. The study was co-financed by the European Commission and led by a consortium of partners from Europe and Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Countries (SEMC). The MEDRING study was submitted end of 2003 and concluded its activities with a very positive assessment of economic benefits and the technical viability of the Ring, provided that some technical solutions were adopted to overcome operational difficulties [1] [2]. Furthermore the Second Strategic Energy Review of the European Commission communicated on 13 November 2008 concluded that a Mediterranean energy ring needed to be completed, linking Europe with the Southern Mediterranean through electricity and gas interconnections. In particular the Ring was essential to develop the region's vast solar and wind energy potential. The MEDRING Update study was launched in October 2009 within the framework of the Euro- Mediterranean Energy Market Integration Project (MED EMIP) financed by the European Union. This update study finalized end of 2010, provided recommendations on actions to be undertaken to close the Mediterranean Electricity Ring, thus integrating the power systems of all Mediterranean countries, and on actions to develop North-South links crossing the Mediterranean sea, enabling the direct energy exchanges between the SEMC and the North Mediterranean Countries (NMC) [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]. By the end of 2011 the situation is that the synchronous closure of the Mediterranean ring is not considered as a short or medium terms option as it requires the development of stronger national transmission grids in some SEMC as well as the decision on where including the DC interface in the future interconnected North African power system in order to avoid uncontrolled active power deviations. However the connection of the Turkish grid to the Eastern part of the European Network of Transmission System Operators of Electricity (ENTSO-E) grid is under tests which should be completed by the end of 2012. But the Mediterranean ring is still open at two locations: the border between Turkey and Syria and the border between Tunisia and Libya. In parallel to the MEDRING update study, bilateral studies have been carried out on the feasibility of new North-South interconnection projects such as the interconnectors between Algeria and Sardinia (Italy), between Algeria and Spain, and between Tunisia and Sicily (Italy), in complement to the existing synchronous interconnection between Morocco and Spain. 2. The recent evolution of the energy context in favour of a Mediterranean grid In December 2008 the European Commission Parliament and Council agreed a binding legislation to implement the so called “20-20-20” targets: A reduction in EU greenhouse gas emissions of at least 20% below 1990 levels; 20% of EU energy consumption to come from renewable resources; A 20% reduction in primary energy use compared with projected levels, to be achieved by improving energy efficiency. In November 2008, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)2 has defined six large project of general interest, one of them being the Mediterranean Solar Plan (MSP). The objective of the MSP is to add 20 GW of low carbon electricity generation capacity, mainly solar, in the SEMC by 2020. The power will 2 Launched on the 13 July 2008 in the frame of the French presidency of the European Union, UfM promotes a new co-development policy in the Mediterranean region. It unites residents of the Mediterranean states and the member-states of the European Union, 43 countries. [http://www.ufmsecretariat.org/en/projects/]. 2 be used mainly to respond to the national demand, but a part of the green electricity (5 GW) could be exported to Europe where it will be sold at higher prices of the feed-in tariffs. The EU directive Energy-Climate (2009/2//CE) makes it possible to include the import of green electricity from outside the EU to reach the ambitious objective of renewable energy share. Most countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have now defined and launched their national solar plans as part of their electricity development plan in order to face their increasing consumption needs (about 7% per year) as a result of their economic and demographic growth. The structure of the electricity demand is very different between Europe and the MENA countries, with a consumption peak generally in winter in the North and in summer in the South due to the fast development of air conditioning. The result is a strong interest in exchanging power in both directions at different times of the year to help to secure the supply of electricity throughout the Mediterranean basin, and to reduce the generation costs by using at every moment the cheapest conventional power plants, which are often the most efficient environmentally. 3. The most recent initiatives considering the Mediterranean grid - DESERTEC industrial initiative (Dii)3 Founded in October 2009, Dii is a private industry consortium working towards enabling the vision of a sustainable energy supply from the deserts in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (EUMENA). The overall objective of Dii is to create a market for renewable energy from the deserts. The long-term goal, by 2050, is to satisfy both a substantial part of the energy needs of the MENA countries and to meet approximately 15% of Europe’s electricity demand. Dii short term objectives are the creation of a positive investment climate, the development of the technological, economic, political and regulatory framework, thereby attracting interest, as well as enabling investment, in renewable energies and the associated interconnected power grids in MENA countries. Figure 1 : Dii roadmap towards a self-sustained market – Reference project phase 2011-2020 (source Dii) - Paving The Way for the MSP4 Started in September 2010 for a three year term, the Paving the Way for the Mediterranean Solar Plan Project (PWMSP) funded by the European Union, addresses nine Southern Mediterranean Partner 3 http://www.dii-eumena.com 4 http://www.pavingtheway-msp.eu 3 Countries5 and will assist them in implementing the MSP. It objective is to support the beneficiary countries, in the harmonization of their legal and regulatory framework, in the transfer of knowledge and capacity building, in the definition of sustainable energy policies, and in investments. In addition, the project aims to assess the Mediterranean grid and the data and information collection for the implementation of the MSP. - MEDGRID6 Created in December 2010, MEDGRID is a consortium of partners coming from eight countries from the EU and MENA. It combines leading partners from the business of electricity generation, transmission