Germany reduces grid stability reserve due to German-Austrian power market split

The winter power capacity reserve, designed to keep the grid stable in critical situations, will be reduced by one third for 2018/2019 compared to previous winters, the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) announced. The capacity of power plants in the reserve will be reduced to 6,000 megawatt from previously 10,400 megawatt and it will be made up of German power stations only. The main reason for the reduced need for back-up capacity was the split between the German and Austrian power market price zones as of October 2018, the Bundesnetzagentur said. Power export to Austria despite grid bottlenecks caused the need for more reserve power stations in the past. Grid agency president Jochen Homann said that only a timely grid expansion was going to keep reserve capacity needs down in the long-term.

Read the press release in German here.

Read a CLEW dossier on the grid expansion here.

Read a CLEW factsheet on cross-border power trading and European issues of the German grid here.