ENTSO-E

The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) was established on 19 December 2008 and has become fully operational as of 1 July 2009. ENTSO-E replaces all former TSO associations in Europe (ATSOI, BALTSO, NORDEL, ETSO, UCTE, UKTSOA), and continues and consolidates their work.

Its legal raison d’être is EC Regulation 714/2009 on conditions for access to the network for cross-border exchanges in electricity, which is part of the Third Legislative Package on the Internal Electricity Market. The Regulation demands the establishment of ENTSO-E to ‘ensure optimal management of the electricity transmission network and to allow trading and supplying electricity across borders in the Community’. ENTSO-E’s aims, as defined by the Regulation include enhancing the integration of the European electricity market; contributing to a sustainable energy environment and ensuring the secure and reliable operation of the European power transmission system.

A non-binding ten-year network development plan as well as network codes which become binding through Comitology for all market players constitute two central examples of the new deliverables ENTSO-E has been mandates with. 

Towards electricity infrastructure for a carbon-neutral Europe
Upgrading, extending and connecting Europe's transmission systems is essential to meet Europe's security of power supply, emissions reduction and renewable energy targets. Infrastructure investments and pan-European network rules are also fundamental to achieve a seamless and efficient European electricity market with competitive end-user prices.

The SmartGrids European Technology Platform (ETP)
is a European network bringing together researchers, industry and other relevant stakeholders in a particular technological field in order to foster European research and development in the concerned area.

The SmartGrids ETP began its work in 2005. Its aim was to formulate and promote a vision for the development of European electricity networks looking towards 2020 and beyond.

The role of the SmartGrids ETP is to:

• Advise and provide inputs to projects, initiatives, policy makers and other EU initiatives (e.g. SET-plan)
•  Monitor and facilitate the deployment stage ensuring efficient use of resources both private and public (e.g. European Industrial Initiatives)
• Encourage timely attention to catalyst projects to ensure that potential technical, regulatory and commercial barriers are not over-looked
• Identify and promote opportunities for collaboration at all stages in the innovation chain including access to funding sources (for instance European Institute of Technology EIT, Knowledge Innovation Communitites KICK, EERA, or SETIS)
• Involve customers and increase awareness of smart grid value to society
• To continue building-up on technical working groups and provide potential response in setting-up other working groups or core advising groups that can reply to the requests from stakeholders and the European Institutions.