RAE to request improved IPTO flexibility, adequacy studies

RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, is, within the next few days, expected to order IPTO, the power grid operator, to make improvements to its grid flexibility and adequacy studies, sources have informed.

The authority will demand that the operator improve its flexibility study prepared last June because not all possible scenarios were taken into account, as was highlighted by the developments of this winter’s energy crisis, prompting officials to raise the energy system’s alert system, the sources noted.

IPTO will need to make system adequacy forecasts in the event of natural gas shortages, adverse weather conditions and reduced coal-fired electricity production.

As was reported yesterday by energypress, an IPTO system adequacy study prepared last summer assured that the country’s energy system does not have any adequacy issues, assuming all production units are available. However, the study fell short of warning of the consequences to the grid’s adequacy if power electricity production units needed to be withdrawn over extended periods for maintenance and repair work.

RAE had asked IPTO to prepare a flexibility study detailing the electricity grid’s real needs, which are growing as renewable energy contributions to the system increase. This study is a prerequisite for the European Commission’s assessment of Greece’s fixed CAT mechanism in the making. The resulting study delivered by IPTO was insufficient, unsubstantiated and did not offer any conclusions and proposals, as had been expected.