The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG) and the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) have released their Interlinked Model (ILM) 2024 progress report.
This report delivers a dual assessment methodology for electricity and hydrogen and includes recommendations for the use of integrated models in the Cost Benefit Analyses of the respective ENTSO-E and ENTSOG Ten-Year Network Development Plans (TYNDPs).
According to the joint press statement, to reach the decarbonisation objectives set by the European Union, the future energy system is a system based on strong cooperation amongst different energy systems at the transmission and distribution levels. An increasingly integrated system can offer flexibility, allowing more efficient use of energy sources and increased uptake of carbon-neutral energy. In this context, understanding the behaviour of such a system becomes paramount.
“This Interlinked Model has progressed so that it is able to test hydrogen, electricity and electrolyser projects using the social economic welfare approach,” commented Piotr Kuś, ENTSOG General Director. “The ILM 2024 Progress Report contributes to understanding the impact of the energy transition on Europe’s future hydrogen and electricity networks.”
“To achieve EU targets in the most efficient way, it is essential to keep a full energy system perspective, viewing the future energy system as a System of Systems,” said Gerald Kaendler, Chair of ENTSO-E’s System Development Committee. “The ILM is a key instrument in this regard when assessing the value of infrastructure projects.”
The first integrated model prepared by ENTSOG and ENTSO-E was the TYNDP 2018 scenarios, which received an opinion from ACER. This was followed by an investigation on interlinkages between methane and electricity sectors, first by Artelys between 2018-2020, then by the Interlinked Model Project Team (joint ENTSOG and ENTSO-E team) between 2020-2022. Today’s publication of the report represents a new milestone for coordinated system planning across sectors.