Early Public Involvement in the European Grid Extension

Seminar paper from the year 2014 in the subject Environmental Sciences, grade: 1,0 - 1,5 (hervorragend), University of Hagen, language: English, abstract: This paper includes analyses on the current status of public participation activities in the selected European countries. The analysis provides information about the existing legal requirements, actual activities and used forms of public involvement during the need determination phase of the high voltage power grid. The paper provides answers to the following questions: Is public participation in the need determination required by the national law of the respective countries? What forms of participation do actually take place in the different phases of the need determination? Which actors can get involved? Is there a transparent documentation of the received input and its reaction in the decisions?

Need determination is the very first step of the grid extension and modification process, followed by the spatial planning and permitting. Need determination requires comprehensive analyses of the existing power grid data and possible future developments of all factors affecting the need for electricity transmission. Extensive grid and market simulations incorporating expected future developments have to be carried out in order to identify potential capacity problems and, finally identify possible transmission solutions. Since future long and medium term projections may significantly change, depending on the current developments, the assumptions and modelling has to be repeated at reasonable intervals. Need determination thus represents an iterative planning process. It is in the responsibility of Transmission System Operators and is often reviewed by National Regulators, who monitor the work of TSOs on an ongoing basis. This is due to the fact that TSOs usually represent natural monopolies and thus require controls to ensure cost efficiency and non-discriminant access to the network to all actors. The identified need for changes or extensions is usually summarized in official planning documents, which often have to be approved by the respective national authorities or governments.