Europe News

Latest news and developments from Europe

• Kosovo's government to pay EUR11 million to KOSTT for electricity used by Serb municipalities

  May 7, 2021
  Kosovo’s parliament has endorsed the recommendation of the Committee on Economy that the government should pay the electricity bills worth EUR11 million of Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo.

• Siemens Energy’s new technology to help Irish grid increase renewables penetration

  May 4, 2021
  Germany’s Siemens Energy AG has won a contract to supply a synchronous condenser system to the Electricity Supply Board (ESB), Ireland’s leading energy company.

• 2 GW Bay of Biscay interconnection between Spain and France moves forward

  April 30, 2021
  The Spanish power transmission system operator (TSO) Red Electrica de Espana (REE) has presented the preliminary project study and the environmental impact study (EIS) of the new power interconnection between Spain and France through the Bay of Biscay.

• Finland’s Fingrid awards clean-air switchgear order to Siemens Energy

  April 27, 2021
  Germany’s Siemens Energy AG has won a contract to deliver clean-air switchgear equipment to Finnish transmission system operator (TSO) Fingrid.

• Finnish and Swedish TSOs join hands for 380-km Aurora Line

  April 27, 2021
  Finland’s transmission system operator (TSO) Fingrid and Sweden’s TSO Svenska Kraftnät are working together to design the 380-km-long Aurora Line—a new electricity transmission link from Messaure in Northern Sweden to Pyhänselkä to the southeast of Oulu in Finland.

• Hitachi ABB Power Grids to deliver power STATCOMs for Germany’s energy transition

  April 20, 2021
  Hitachi ABB Power Grids has won two orders for static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) system power quality solutions from German transmission system operator (TSO) Amprion.

• Lithuania's Litgrid announces public tenders for two 330 kV lines [free access]

  April 20, 2021
  Lithuanian electricity transmission system operator (TSO) Litgrid has announced public tenders for the design and construction of the 330 kV Darbėnai–Bitėnai and Kruonis hydro power plant (HPP)–Bitėnai power transmission lines.

• Greek Mytilineos signs EUR21.2 million deal for substations in Albania

  April 19, 2021
  Greek industrial group Mytilineos has signed a EUR21.2 million contract with Albanian power transmission system operator (TSO), Operatori i Sistemit të Transmetimit (OST sh.a), for the construction and extension of substations in the country.

• 1.4 GW NordLink between Germany and Norway swings into full power

  April 13, 2021
  According to the Dutch transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT, NordLink—the 1.4-GW interconnector between Germany and Norway—has been brought into operation after several months of trials.

• Lithuania to use data from tests of Belarus’ power grid for synchronisation

  April 13, 2021
  According to Lithuania’s electricity transmission system operator (TSO) Litgrid, the data that were obtained during the recent tests of Belarus’ power grid will be used by Lithuania for its synchronisation with Europe’s power grid.

• Energinet awards contracts for artificial energy island projects [free access]

  April 12, 2021
  Danish transmission system operator (TSO) Energinet has selected Dutch geophysical services company Fugro and Swedish geophysical services company MMT, to carry out seabed surveys related to the plans to build a 10 GW artificial energy island in the North Sea.

• Lithuania’s TSO evaluates risks to energy system; to set up battery storage

  April 7, 2021
  Lithuania's state-owned electricity transmission system operator (TSO), Litgrid, has released an analysis of risks to the country's energy system in 2025-30.

• Crete–Peloponnese subsea interconnector completed in Greece [free access]

  April 6, 2021
  The submarine interconnection link between the island of Crete and the Peloponnese peninsula, mainland Greece, has been completed, with the system expected to go live over the next few months.

• Lithuania starts reconstruction of Elektrenai–Alytus power transmission line

  April 5, 2021
  Lithuania's state-owned electricity transmission system operator (TSO), Litgrid, has begun the reconstruction of a 330 kV power transmission line between the Elektrenai power plant and the southern town of Alytus.

• Macedonia's MEPSO kicks off reconstruction of Stip–Ovce line

  March 30, 2021
  The Macedonian Transmission System Operator MEPSO AD has launched the reconstruction of a 110 kV power line worth EUR1.41 million, connecting the Stip and Ovce Pole substations in the central part of the country.

• UK’s SSEN to appeal Ofgem’s Riio-T2 licence modification decision to CMA

  March 29, 2021
  SSE Networks Transmission (SSEN Transmission)—the transmission business of the Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) company—has confirmed that it intends to appeal certain elements of the country’s energy regulator, Office of Gas and Electricity Markets’ (Ofgem) RIIO-T2 (Revenue=Incentives+Innovation+Outputs) price control settlement, to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

• UK’s SSEN Transmission issues new GBP500 million green bond

  March 29, 2021
  SSE Networks Transmission (SSEN Transmission)—the transmission business of the Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) company—has successfully issued its second green bond, a GBP500 million, 7- and 15-year, dual tranche Euro bond.

• Finland’s Fingrid to modernise 110 kV Imatra–Huutokoski line

  March 26, 2021
  Finland’s transmission system operator (TSO) Fingrid is set to modernise the 110 kV Imatra–Huutokoski power line, which was commissioned in 1934. The line has reached the end of its service life.

• Lithuania’s Litgrid begins reconstruction of 330 kV Jurbarkas–Bitenai line [free access]

  March 24, 2021
  Lithuanian electricity transmission system operator Litgrid has signed an agreement on the design and construction of the 330 kV Jurbarkas–Bitėnai overhead transmission line.

• Linxon selected as EPC contractor for UK’s National Grid substations framework

  March 23, 2021
  Linxon, a Hitachi ABB Power Grids & SNC-Lavalin company, has been selected as an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) substation framework contractor for the UK’s transmission system operator (TSO) National Grid's RIIO-2