On April 26, in Warsaw, Poland, an agreement was signed to grant Ukrenergo the status of an observer member of ENTSO-E, the European network of electricity transmission system operators.
"This agreement brings Ukraine even closer to full integration with European energy markets and determines our future development. I am grateful to our European partners and friends for their support and trust. I am convinced that this event is important not only for us, but also for the whole Europe. Ukraine's membership in ENTSO-E will be mutually beneficial, as we will not only study and implement best European practices, but will also be able to share valuable experience in ensuring the reliability of the power system in extreme conditions, "said Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Galushchenko.
The status of an observer member will allow Ukrenergo to join a fully-fledged and experienced international Association of European TSOs with unique expertise in core association activities including policy and legal matters developed over a long period and to avail of their information, knowledge and best practices. In particular, Ukrenergo will be able to participate in ENTSO-E Continental Europe Regional Group and join the working groups dealing with the grid operation and maintenance, network balancing and security, modelling of electricity demand, operation and development of generation, improvement of cyber security in the energy sector, electricity market, etc.
Background
ENTSO-E is the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity, includes 39 member TSOs representing 35 countries. ENTSO-E members are responsible for the secure and coordinated operation of Europe’s electricity system, the largest interconnected electrical grid in the world.
By the end of 2021, Ukrenergo completed all major preparations required by the Agreement and obtained a positive opinion from the Consortium of ENTSO-E TSOs regarding the technical capability of such synchronization. It enabled an emergency synchronization in a very tight timeframe and a year earlier, i.e., on 16 March 2022, three weeks after russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. During these three weeks, the Ukrainian power system maintained a stable operation in isolation and amidst war and, by doing so, completed all necessary tests required for the isolated mode of operation by the programme of preparation for synchronization.