Opening session speechs: from left to right, Emmanuel Bué (RTE), Dario Chello (Medener), Jorge Borrego (UfM), Cyril Dewaleyne (EU), Rabah Touileb (SONELGAZ) and Angelo Ferrante (Med-TSO)
A workshop on “Development and integration of Renewable Energies in the Mediterranean region” has taken place for two days in Algiers (24th-25th). The workshop has been organized by the Technical Committee “International exchanges of electricity” (TC3) and the Working Group “Economic Studies and Scenarios” (WG ESS) of Med-TSO (the Association of the Mediterranean Transmission System Operators –TSOs- for electricity, operating the High Voltage Transmission Networks of 18 Countries), with the support of Sonelgaz, the Algerian TSO.
The workshop focused on some of the results achieved by the Association in the framework of the Mediterranean Project (a three-year lasting grant from the EU Commission – DG NEAR, aiming at improving the integration of the Mediterranean Power Systems through the definition of a common framework of rules and procedures shared by all Med-TSO Members.
“The target of TC3 within the Mediterranean Project is to define methodologies, procedures and operational mechanisms for sharing resources through the cross-border exchange of electricity, based on the complementarities between the Members’ systems and the effective use of the already existing and planned transmission infrastructures ” explained Mr. Rabah Touileb (Sonelgaz, Algeria), Chairman of TC3.
This objective is supported also by WG ESS. “Foreseeing the evolution of consumption is not easy. A difference of about 1%, plus or minus, could change a lot in the scenarios results” underlined Emanuel Bué (RTE, France), Convener of WG ESS. “Because of that, we studied 4 different scenarios for Med-TSO needs. Every scenario is coherently applied in each of the different Med-TSO countries.”
Six are the drivers calculated by the scenarios studies: Economy and population; Renewable energy development; Technology development; New load (water de-salinization, electric cars, public transportation, energy efficiency); Market integration (internal market, regional market, or global market); Thermal carbon free technologies. “With this approach, we see how an economic growing factor or a technological development in the renewables area may represent a change for all the countries”, concluded Bué.
“This workshop is another important step forward the fulfilment of the expected results” commented Angelo Ferrante, Secretary General of Med-TSO, who underlined that “We are going to conclude these three years of the Mediterranean Project with significant coordination efforts to find a working method between so many different TSOs . With this respect, the Association has shown uncommon capacities to foster dialogue and promote activities “.
The European Commission attended the event and confirmed its interest in supporting Med-TSO, as Mr. Cyril Dewaleyne, DG NEAR Programme Manager, underlined, “The Mediterranean Project is in line with the objectives of EU’s Neighbourhood policy on Energy and Climate Change. In the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean, the EU and its Partner Countries promote a structured dialogue supporting the gradual development of a Euro-Mediterranean energy market. And boosting the development of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency measures is a very important element of this regional energy partnership”.
Attended the workshop also representatives from the Mediterranean Associations and International Organizations, such as Medener, ENTSO-E and the Union for the Mediterranean.
The workshop was also an opportunity to exchange different best practices for facilitating Renewable Energy Sources integration in the Mediterranean countries.
This workshop is the second out of three scheduled by the Mediterranean Project before the Brussels results presentation (April 2018). The first workshop was held in Madrid (03/15/2017), dealing with rules and regulatory frameworks, supported by REE, while the third and last one will be held in Rome, early 2018, supported by Terna and focusing on “Grid planning” methodologies and procedures.