Energyforum

The three-year study was carried out jointly by UCTE and IPS/UPS, grid coordinator for Russia, the Baltic states and the former Soviet Union states of central Asia. Both electricity systems are currently operated separately, but around 100 experts from both sides were involved in the study to examine the feasibility of a possible synchronous coupling of the power systems, UCTE said.

The full results of the study are to be published before the summer break, UCTE project coordination Mathias Luther told Platts. The conclusions state that the study found evidence that a "synchronous coupling between UCTE and IPS/UPS is feasible upon implementing several technical, operational and organizational measures and establishing the legal framework as identified in the investigation."

But getting there would take a long time, so coupling "should be considered as a long term perspective," the initial conclusions said. And even if the two grids were connected, the study found that "potential power exchanges between UCTE and IPS/UPS are limited mainly due to internal congestions in the systems concerned." As such a synchronous coupling would require "investments in the transmission grids on both sides of the interface in order to maintain the transfer capacities available to the markets at present in both synchronous areas," the conclusions said.

The conclusions expressed concern about a greater potential for grid imbalances across the wider grid area if coupling went ahead. "While ordinary operational disturbances are withstood by both the coupled and uncoupled systems, severe disturbances lead to wide-area oscillations in the coupled systems which could decrease system security," the conclusions said, referring to simulation models evaluated over the last few weeks of the study.

Extra investments are needed in generation and transmission to counter this, it said. Power coupling of the Russian and UCTE European grids would create the world's largest single electricity market and allow Russian generators to export surplus power to power-hungry markets in central and western Europe, which Russia is keen to do.

But the European Commission has reservations about this prospect on grounds that power could come from Russian nuclear reactors, which do not meet the same safety requirements as reactors in the EU.