The recent power crash across the Iberian peninsula has brought Europe’s grid issues to the fore.
Where large blackouts have occurred previously, stronger standards in system operation, planning and governance have been introduced – as they inevitably will be again when the cause of this latest outage emerges. What is making regulators, transmission systems operators and governments nervous, however, is the unavoidable and painful lesson on the vulnerability of Europe’s grids given modern realities.
An impressive level of renewables capacity is coming on stream and that is about to be scaled up as the European Union seeks to address competitiveness issues. The aim is to enhance energy security and independence, countering dependence on volatile international gas markets and recognising that electrification should ensure cheaper energy.
But there is a systemic problem and its extent was detailed in two reports this week. The first was an analysis of 32 transmission systems operators, including EirGrid. The second was a European Parliament report co-authored by Irish MEP Seán Kelly.
Outdated planning and obsolete mandates are slowing the upgrading and buildout of grids, delaying connection of renewable capacity and flexibility projects, which can make energy clean and affordable, concludes the Beyond Fossil Fuels analysis conducted by consultants E3G, Ember and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
Too many grid operators are working according to outdated national scenarios that ignore the exponential scale of growth in renewables. The result is gridlock and wasted power.
Kelly noted: “Europe’s grid is largely a relic of the 20th century, designed for a centralised fossil fuel-powered economy. Today, our energy system must integrate high volumes of decentralised, variable renewables while accommodating rising electricity demand from industry, heat pumps, EVs and data centres. To keep pace, we need a major upgrade to transmission and distribution networks.”
Inconsistency is widespread. EirGrid is among only five transmission systems operators considering scenarios in which renewables replace nearly all coal and gas by 2035.
Kelly noted what is probably Ireland’s biggest problem – “outdated grid infrastructure, planning delays and political inertia” that are stalling progress.
“We cannot continue to let critical grid infrastructure – like the North-South Interconnector – be held up for decades by planning delays and serial objectors,” he said.
If the stalling is allowed continue, the risk of outage on our doorstep increases.
