System Operations Committee

ENTSO-E’s operations activities are overseen by the ENTSO-E System Operations Committee (SOC) chaired by Olivier Arrivé from RTE, France and Frank Reyer from Amprion, Germany as Vice-Chairman. The Committee reports to the ENTSO-E Board and Assembly.

All activities of the ENTSO-E SOC are supported by the ENTSO-E Operations Secretariat team.

What we do

System Operations is the core activity of any transmission system operator (TSO). It covers the actions taken to ensure the secure and optimal real-time operation of the grid, enduring resilience of the transmission system.

The ENTSO-E System Operations activities are about:

• Developing and maintaining European operational framework, notably through operations network codes/guidelines, agreements, standards and methodologies;

• Coordinating measures for protection of critical infrastructure;

• Developing and maintaining dedicated communication infrastructure for real-time and non-real-time data exchange and a number of systems such as the ENTSO-E Awareness System which provides a real-time pan-European view on the state of transmission systems;

• Establishing European rules for facilitating the development and implementation of a common grid model for all stages of system operation via an Operational Planning Data Environment;

• Classification and follow up of operational incidents;

• Regional security coordination and its evolution to the Regional Coordination Centres (RCCs) and services to be provided based on the Clean Energy Package legal mandates and those required extra by TSOs;

• Proactively assessing innovations and power system future needs and proposing the best operational strategies for the power system to meet and best facilitate the energy transition.

How we are organized

Currently, there are five steering groups and two projects reporting directly into SOC. Each group is supported by our Secretariat team. You can learn more about each group below.

SOC meetings

Operations

Operations reports to the SOC about relevant issues within the various Regional Groups, RSCs, and at pan-European level. The functional focus of activities of Steering Group Operations are the operational planning, the operational security and the frequency control.

Steering Group Operations contributes to defining and updating technical and operational rules as well as developing proposals for harmonization of operational procedures at pan-European level and therefore promotes operational coherence among regions and synchronous areas.

Steering Group Operations promotes the evolution of existing operational processes and applications to cope with the day-to-day challenges of operations. It coordinates operational tasks within its substructure to ensure efficient and effective use of the scarce resources of experts.

Steering Group Operations ensures the implementation of new concepts approved by SOC. The main goal is to meet the challenges of and proactively assess the continuous change in operational, organizational and technological, as well as regulatory and social aspects of Transmission System Operators.

Steering Group Operations works closely with Steering Group Operational Framework and develops pan-European methodologies and regulatory reports as required by the European Network Codes and Clean Energy Package.

Strategy

The aim of the Steering Group Strategy is to define and develop operational strategies for the SOC to meet future challenges and changes in the power sector beyond the day-to-day operations. The main focus is the coordination of the power system operation: between TSOs, Regional Coordination, with DSOs and inter-sectorial.

Steering Group Strategy supports SOC in the assessment of infrastructure, regulatory or technological developments and their impact in the operation, making proposals that fits with the SOC target of security, resilience and efficiency in the power system operation. The main tasks of the group are:

• Develop operational strategies for SOC that consider system and market developments.

• Ensure that all relevant topics to SOC are identified, evaluated and accordingly taken into account.

• Assess and contribute to the development of regulatory proposals, new operational concepts, common tools, and evolution of coordination.

• Where appropriate, identify required activities and projects and provide SOC with a prioritized work plan that aligns with the defined operational strategy.

IT & Tools

The main role of the Steering Group IT & Tools is to provide technical and business oversight and guidance to SOC to ensure that IT Systems and projects that are required to fulfil business needs of SOC are properly planned, built, delivered, implemented and operated. Steering Group IT & Tools steers, monitors and provides assurance on both project and operational delivery of relevant SOC decisions for IT tools.

Steering Group IT & Tools concentrates its efforts on the IT systems and Tools that are needed for pan-European coordination, harmonization and reporting. Applying both technical and business knowledge, it provides feedback, commentary and guidance to SOC on project and operational deliverables.

Steering Group IT & Tools initiates project proposals and assesses project proposals initiated by other parties to validate that scope of work, governance, organizational and resource requirements are fit for purpose and in line with SOC decisions. It ensures that robust change controls and release management practices are in place and complied with, for project and operational activities.

Steering Group IT & Tools, together with SOC Chair or Vice Chair, represents SOC in the Digital committee which coordinates the digital strategy at ENTSO-E level.

Operational Framework

The Steering Group Operational Framework focuses on developing, implementing and monitoring of the adequate System Operation framework for a secure and reliable operation of the interconnected power systems, while ensuring sustainable evolution and change management of this framework according to the needs of operational security, security of supply, TSOs and grid users.

Such framework is based on European Network Codes (NCs) and the Clean Energy Package (CEP), which imply the development of methodologies at regional or European level. It favors the establishment of contractual agreements between all TSOs and for the possible extension of their application by non-EU TSOs.

The Steering Group ensures the representation of ENTSO-E in the European Stakeholder Committee set-up in accordance with the European NCs and CEP.

Learn more about Network Codes and the Clean Energy Package.

Regional Coordination

Regional cooperation strategy is a key element of the TSO and ENTSO-E work. The Steering Group Regional Coordination is responsible for pan-European aspects and cross regional aspects of the implementation of RCC tasks. It thus serves as the RCC coordination framework which ENTSO-E is required to establish according to Article 30(1)(e) of the Regulation 2019/943.

Learn more about Regional Security Coordinators

System Resilience

The impact of natural and man-made hazards on the critical infrastructure of TSOs and ENTSO-E needs to address the proper strategies to improve the ability of a critical infrastructure to anticipate and prepare for critical situations, to absorb impacts of hazards, prevent deterioration in service to the point of failure, and respond to and recover from disruptions.

Resilience is a multi-dimensional and dynamic concept. For ensuring a high level of resilience, TSOs and ENTSO-E need to continuously focus on aspects related to the potential for multiple failures at all levels of the organization, to find opportunities in order to improve its practices prior to, during, and following major disturbances and service interruptions and to learn from past events.

Under the supervision and within the framework of the activities of System Operations Committee (SOC), Steering Group System Resilience aims to provide guidance and a high level of expertise in the system resilience area. This covers all aspects related to the holistic security of the critical infrastructure, risk preparedness plans, and methodologies and procedures that need to be developed under the European Regulatory framework.

Working Group Risk Preparedness

Under the Clean Energy Package, the Risk Preparedness Regulation is being addressed by a designated Working Group at the ENTSO-E which falls under the StG System Resilience and System Operations Committee (SOC).

The main deliverables of the Working Group Risk Preparedness is the Methodology for Identifying Regional Electricity Crisis Scenarios and its implementation on a pan-European level.

Working Group Critical System Protection

For a reliable and secure operation of European transmission systems it is essential that the corresponding physical infrastructure is not endangered by natural phenomena or intentional (adverse) human activity. Therefore, the protection of these critical infrastructures must be ensured.

The Working Group Critical Systems Protection (WG CSP) aims at improving the physical and organisational protection of infrastructures, systems and assets owned and/or operated by TSOs and the security of their personnel. This shall be achieved by giving advice to the whole association, preparing holistic security guidelines to improve the protection level of the interconnected power grid across ENTSO-E area against intentional threats (physical, cyber, technical, organisational, personnel), as well as against HILF (High Impact Low Frequency) events.

The goal of WG CSP is to address such threats and potential mitigating measures. All other committees and bodies within ENTSO-E are encouraged and, in some cases, obliged (if a minimum number of two TSOs are affected) to use the pool of WG CSP experts in order to provide support to achieve an acceptable security level across the whole association’s issues.

The WG CSP reports to the Steering Group System Resilience and System Operations Committee (SOC) at the ENTSO-E.

Network Code Cyber Security Drafting Team

The Network Code on Cybersecurity is another topic governed by the Steering Group System Resilience. The dedicated drafting team is engaged in the formal and informal process for developing a Network Code on Cybersecurity, according to the Clean Energy Package requirements. Close cooperation is ensured and followed with the European Commission, ACER and the EU DSOs Association.

RSC (Regional Security Coordinators) Project

Regional cooperation strategy is a key element of ENTSO-E’s roadmap. The dedicated project has been initiated in 2015 with the approval by the Board of the ENTSO-E Project “TSO Coordination Strategy Implementation with RSCs” (RSC Project).

There have been considerable regional coordination developments since 2015 with signing of the all-TSOs MLA in December 2015 and the establishment of four new RSCs, in addition to Coreso and TSCnet, namely SCC (2015), Nordic RSC (2016), Baltic RSC (2016) and Selene-CC (2020). The project team was also key in developing the FTI study in late 2016 which greatly contributed to successful advocacy on Regional Cooperation and role of RSCs in the Clean Energy Package (CEP), ensuring that ENTSO-E/TSOs model for regional cooperation was maintained in the new legislation.

The main task for RSCs is the full implementation of the 6+1 services (including non-legally binding service of Critical Grid Situations) under CACM, SOGL and NC ER to realise the benefits of increased regional coordination in both market and system operations. In addition, the Entry into Force of the Clean Energy Package will impact the evolution of the RSC Project and needs to be taken into account in the future.

Learn more about Regional Security Coordinators

Common Grid Model (CGM) Programme

ENTSO-E’s Common Grid Model (CGM) Programme is tasked with the delivery of the capability for pan-European exchange of network model data between Transmission System Operators (TSOs) and Regional Security Coordinators (RSCs) as set out by the European Union (EU) under various Network Codes:

• Article 64 of the Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/1485 of 2 August 2017, establishing a guideline on electricity transmission system operation (hereafter ‘SOGL’)

• Article 17 of the COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2015/1222 of 24 July 2015 establishing a guideline on capacity allocation and congestion management (hereafter ‘CACM’)

• Article 18 of the COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2016/1719 of 26 September 2016 establishing a guideline on forward capacity allocation (hereafter ‘FCA’)

The exchange of Individual Grid Model (IGMs) and Common Grid Models (CGMs) will ease the cooperation between TSOs and will result in an even more secure and cost-efficient pan-European grid.

The CGM Programme is a complex multi-stakeholder and multi-service provider programme responsible for delivering Pan-European merged network models in line with the Network Code requirements:

• Rollout of a Pan-European Physical Communications Network

• Creation of the Common Grid Model Methodologies (CGMM) that are stipulated by the various Network Codes, describing the CGM building process

• Definition of a standardised structure for Individual and Common Grid Models

• Definition of validation rules required to ensure the completeness and quality of Individual and Common Grid Models

• Development of a data exchange platform, enabling Individual and Common Grid Models to be shared between TSOs and RSCs

• Controlling of deliveries from ENTSO-E, TSOs and RSCs.

The CGM Build Process, regardless of whether it is applied in the context of short- or long-term capacity calculation, has the following steps using the Physical Communication Network (PCN), ENTSO-E’s Connectivity and Communication Service Platform (ECCoSP), ENTSO-E’s Operational Planning Data Environment (OPDE) Platform and the Common Grid Model Exchange Standard (CGMES):

1. Contribution of Individual Grid Models (IGMs) by TSOs

2. Quality assurance for provided Individual Grid Models (IGMs)

3. Aligning net positions / market data to ensure the Pan-European balance of the Common Grid Model (CGM)

4. Adding the repository of commonly agreed boundaries for adjacent grids

5. Provision of the Common Grid Model (CGM) via the merging of Individual Grid Models (IGMs)

6. Quality assurance for provided Common Grid Model (CGM)

RSCs merge Individual Grid Models (IGMs) provided by TSOs covering timeframes spanning from one year before real time to one hour before real time into a pan-European Common Grid Model (CGM) and feed the merged Common Grid Model (CGM) back into the system.

Further Network Code requirements in terms of Operational Security, Operational Planning & Scheduling, Capacity Allocation & Congestion Management and Forward Capacity Allocation are managed outside the CGM Programme’s scope.