Power Grid Operator News

Germany boosted its offshore wind power capacity by 357 megawatts (MW) to 7,036 MW last year, inching towards a planned 30,000 MW by 2030, power grid operator TenneT said.The German arm of the Dutch transmission group will play a key role in achieving the target, linking the majority of new wind farms to onshore high-voltage transmission grids, with a commitment to provide six 2,000 MW links by 2031.

Greece has linked the island of Crete to the power grid of the Peloponnese peninsula via an undersea cable, a major step in the country's drive to cut its reliance on imported fossil fuel and boost renewables, the country's power grid operator IPTO said.The southern island of Crete, a popular summer holiday destination for foreigners, has relied on polluting oil-fired power plants that will need to cut production or shut down in the coming years, in line with EU climate-change…

The wreckage of a major German warship has been discovered off the coast of Norway some 80 years after it was sunk in a World War Two battle, Norwegian power grid operator Statnett and a maritime archaeologist said.Identified this year from images and sonar scans of its hull and of details such as the position of gun turrets, the cruiser Karlsruhe was first detected in 2017 just 15 meters (50 feet) from a subsea power cable that has been operating since 1977.Built in the 1920s…

The Irish power grid operator EirGrid has awarded NKT a service contract for the interconnector connecting Ireland and Great Britain.The cable and cable accessories supplier to the energy sector has been awarded a five-year service agreement by the Irish power grid operator EirGrid for cable related services including repair works for the East West Interconnector.The 200 kV HVDC power cable with capacity of 500 MW between Ireland and Great Britain is connecting the countries power grid ensuring the high transmission security needed to power modern life.For NKT, the agreement marks the first contract including the company’s recently launched 10 days vessel mobilization guarantee.

German-Dutch power grid operator TenneT has awarded the cable company NKT with a three-year service agreement contract covering the cable jointing part of a larger offshore service agreement.The contract covers the cable jointing work for seven power cable systems and includes a tailored preparedness plan designed by NKT to ensure minimum downtime in case of damages to the high-voltage power cables, which originally was manufactured by NKT.For NKT, the agreement supports the company’s strategic focus to grow its service business as the industry attention for power cable service is expected to increase in the years ahead.The global transition…

Bulgaria's power grid operator ordered all renewable energy producers on Sunday to reduce their output by 60 percent in an attempt to balance production and consumption in the Balkan country, the state-owned company said. The grid operator has already imposed output cuts on  thermal power plants in the coal-fired Maritsa East complex and on Bulgaria's nuclear plant due to low domestic consumption and weak demand for power exports in the region. Reductions similar to the renewable energy cut have been imposed several times since late May.   (Reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

China wants to invest in Greek airports and railways as well as the busiest port, officials said on Friday, as the country where the euro debt crisis began seeks a role as China's gateway into Europe. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is on a three-day trip to Greece to boost economic ties between the nations, who have drawn closer since China's Cosco Paficic won a 35-year concession in 2009 to upgrade and run two cargo piers at the Piraeus port. Greece, which relies on bailout loans from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund…