Ten-Year Network Development Plan 2014 Edition · Ten-Year Network Development Plan – 2014 Edition The NDP lists the network development projects that RTE plans to complete and

Ten-Year NetworkDevelopment Plan 2014 Edition EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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Executive summary

Ten-Year Network Development Plan – 2014 Edition

The NDP lists the network development

projects that RTE plans to complete and

commission over a 3-year period and presents

the main power transmission infrastructure

work envisaged for the next ten years.

Beyond, it outlines the possible network

adaptation needs for a variety of energy

transition scenarios.

MORE THAN 2000 KM OF VERY HIGH VOLTAGE POWER LINES TO BUILD OR STRENGTHEN DURING THIS DECADE

In the coming decade, RTE plans:

• 1000 km of new underground and subsea DC links, along with their associated converter stations;

• About 700 km of existing equipment upgrades or new overhead 400 kV AC circuits substituting exist-ing power lines.

• At the same time, nearly 400 km of underground lines and just over 100 km of overhead 225 kV AC lines should be built.

> 365 projects are listed in this NDP:

• 58 operations on overhead lines, involving some dismantling of existing assets;

• 102 underground lines;

• 205 substation adaptations.

Globally, nearly 80% of the network is developed underground or subsea.

KEY INVESTMENTS FOR THE ENERGY TRANSITION

Over the next 10 years, the network investments will make it possible to:

> Meet the goals of the Regional Climate Air Energy Plans,

> Create 4 GW of extra offshore wind generation integration capacity and 10 GW of additional interconnection capacity,

> Secure supplies to regions of highly dynamic demographics and economy.

The map which follows shows the main 10-year projects in the network development plan.

RTE publishes its 4th Ten-Year

Network Development Plan

Complying with the European and French laws, each year, RTE prepares

and publicizes a Ten-Year Network Development Plan (NDP) to meet

the expectations of its stakeholders and customers.

de transport d’électricité

en France.

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Executive summary

Ten-Year Network Development Plan – 2014 Edition

KEY-INVESTMENTS TO SECURE ENERGY TRANSITION

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Executive summary

Ten-Year Network Development Plan – 2014 Edition

MUTUAL SUPPORT BETWEEN FRENCH REGIONS RISING IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ENERGY TRANSITION

> An energy « mix1 » bound to change by 2020.

Pursuant to the European directives governing the discharge of pollutants, the shutdown of the oldest coal-fired or fuel-fired power plants is scheduled by 2016. The Fessenheim nuclear power plant must also cease production by 2017, when the Flamanville EPR will be commissioned. In accordance with the political and legislative framework, steady development of solar and wind energies is envisaged. The first off-shore wind farms should generate their first kWh in 2018.

> The transformation of the energy mix entails a modification of electricity flows.

These will be larger and more volatile, mostly in north south direction across France (and also Europe, as explained by ENTSO-E2- in its own TYNDP).

> The 400 kV network, which assures electricity exchange opportunities and solidarity across the regions, will come under increasing strain.

RTE is therefore endeavouring to reinforce network capacity at potential bottlenecks, in order to support the on-going fluidity of exchanges between those territories with a power surplus and those with a deficit, as well as to secure the supply of the regions being transited. This is the role of the projects ‘Lille-Arras’, ‘Charleville-Reims’, ‘Cergy-Persan’, and the grid adaptation in Alsace in the north of the country; or ‘Lyon-Montélimar’ and ‘Midi-Provence’ in the south.

> Heavy investment in existing substations and lines: additional transformer capacity, new circuit breakers, etc.

The aim is to provide new connection possibilities (especially in the framework of the Regional Plans for RES connection), and to maintain voltage and flow control capacities across the network. Thus, RTE aims at sustaining the high safety level of the French power system, for the benefit of its customers, large industrial plants and distributors.

1 The energy mix refers to the set of energy sources used to generate electricity {renewable energies, thermal, etc.) 2 ENTSO-E: European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity

> In the longer term, the network will have to evolve to implement the energy transition policies decided upon by the French government.

The reinforcements already underway, or planned for the coming decade, are considered necessary, irrespective of energy mix trend scenarios. Further investment decisions may be required if a more ambitious energy transition policy is decided upon. In particular, if a decision is made to reduce the level of installed nuclear power, Southern France will probably be most affected because of the large installed nuclear power capacity along the Rhône and Loire rivers.

Conversely, the bulk of the new generation capacity is expected to come from Northern France: onshore and offshore wind farms, sea power, etc.

It should also be noted that, owing to its low load factor (the ratio between electricity actually generated and theoretical capacity), solar power should only make a very marginal contribution outside of the summer months. The French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies also predicts that the population will rise relatively more across the coastal regions of the Mediterranean and Atlantic than across the north and east of the country.

These trends would result in the French southern regions becoming increasingly dependent on the energy surplus regions of the north and east, creating the need to reinforce the network to the north of the Massif Central, between Normandy and the south of Paris region, in the north-east quadrant and even in West Central France.

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Executive summary

Ten-Year Network Development Plan – 2014 Edition

INTERCONNECTION CAPACITIES WITH ALL NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES MUST INCREASE

> RES development entails greater volatility in electricity generation and flows across Europe.

A strengthening of interconnections is essential for European solidarity. They ensure a greater security of supply to both France and its neighbours.

All countries can access low-cost electricity by taking advantage of their complementary energy generation mixes.

France generally supplies cross-border electricity when its nuclear and renewables generation is abundant; conversely, it can import electricity during winter consumption peaks.

> At the crossroads of European exchanges across the west of the continent, France must increasingly interconnect with all its neighbours.

Besides the reinforcement of the interconnection with Spain, to the east of the Pyrenees, in 2015, construction work on a new interconnector with Italy will start soon.

Other DC connections are on the drawing board: with Spain via the Bay of Biscay, with Ireland and with Great Britain.

The rebuilding of interconnection assets with Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, with the aim of boosting exchange capacities with these countries.

> For all French borders, a near-10 GW rise in interconnection capacity is under study or projected for commissioning during the coming decade.

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Executive summary

Ten-Year Network Development Plan – 2014 Edition

ON AVERAGE, EACH YEAR, € 1.5 BILLION, WILL BE INVESTED IN ADAPTING THE FRENCH GRID TO CHANGES IN THE ENERGY MIX

> Network development investments are estimated, under current economic conditions, at about one billion euros per year for the coming decade.

Part of these investments will be used to meet the connection needs of the customers. Mostly financed by the requestors, this share is bound to increase, particularly with offshore wind farm connections.

> An additional € 400 million per year to refurbish aging equipment.

These heavy investments are designed to sustain the overall quality of service. The corresponding equipment is not subject to any changes in function or consistency, and as such, they are not detailed in this NDP.

> In addition to these investments in the high voltage network, more than € 100 million every year for IT systems and tertiary equipment.

Crucial for anticipating, real-time monitoring and effective reaction, information and telecommunication systems participate directly in system performance. In this sense, their deployment is inseparable from that of high-voltage infrastructure.

Whilst taking into account economic trends, RTE is maintaining a sustained investment effort throughout France to assure the security of the country’s supplies and to enable changes to the energy mix.

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Ten-Year Network Development Plan – 2014 Edition

165 PROJECTS WITHIN THE THREE-YEAR STRAND OF THE NDP WILL REACH COMPLETION BETWEEN 2015 AND 2017

> Among the 196 projects of the three-year strand of the 2013 edition, 44 were commissioned on schedule in 2014.

148 projects are proceeding on schedule. In particular, the construction of the Provence/Riviera and Brittany ‘safety nets’ is in line with forecasts. Four projects have been postponed to a later date.

> Among the 46 projects deviating from the schedule announced last year, half were rescheduled in order to adapt to the progress of customer projects.

Only four were rescheduled due to construction site contingencies. In particular, the project for a DC underground line between France and Spain to the east of the Pyrenees, although completed in summer 2014, will only be commissioned in summer 2015, on completion of a rigorous test campaign on the structure.

> Ten years from now, large-scale key projects will secure the electricity supply and contribute to cross-border electrical solidarity.

Besides the Provence /Riviera and Brittany ‘safety nets’, RTE plans, by 2020, the commissioning of 225 kV key reinforcements to secure the power supply to the south of the Loire region and the Vendée, the departments of Haute Loire and Loire, the Upper Durance region and many regional hubs, particularly along the Mediterrane-an and Atlantic coastlines characterized by very dynamic demographic and economic trends.

With the exception of the coastlines and a few regions experiencing strong demographic growth, consumption should evolve little by 2030.

Nonetheless, the network will have to thoroughly adapt to accommodate the strong expansion of RES in France and Europe.

> 30 projects fall within the scope of the 3-year strand.

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Ten-Year Network Development Plan – 2014 Edition

THE NDP IS GENERATED BY RTE, AFTER CONSULTATION WITH THE CONCERNED PARTIES, AND UPDATED EACH YEAR

It is submitted each year to the French Energy Regulator (CRE).

> This edition of the NDP updates and expands the document published in 2013.

It draws, in particular, upon the latest updates of ENTSO-E’s TYNDP (European level) and RTE’s Forecast (French level) published in summer 2014. It also includes suggestions from the public, formulated during the open consultation for the previous November-December 2013 edition and by members of RTE’s Customers-Users Committee (CURTE) through the work of its ‘Grid Outlook’ commission.

It also takes into account the recommendations formulated by the CRE in its June 26th 2014 Opinion. In particular, the following features have been added in the 2014 NDP: maps detailing the underlying generation and consumption assumptions for the next 10 years and for each region; it looks ahead to the possible network adaptation needs beyond 2025; and the benefits of the projects - contribution to the reduction of CO2 emissions, network losses, etc. – are now explicitly quantified.

> Lastly, the 2014 NDP is environmentally evaluated in a dedicated document.

The environmental evaluation of the NDP published by RTE is conducted by the specialized consultancy BRLi. This rigorous exercise analyses all the impacts (climate, biodiversity, population, countryside and cultural heritage, etc.), both positive and negative, of the projects featured in the NDP in order to shed light on the consultations and decisions of the authorities.

The public is invited to contribute and give its point of view on this edition of the NDP up to December 19th 2014, contact: [email protected]

THE NDP IS SUPPORTED BY MEDIUM AND LONG TERM ANALYSES

The NDP is supported by medium and long term trend analyses on consumption and the energy mix in France and across Europe, which are collected in the Genera-tion Adequacy Forecast3 published by RTE.

For all the Regions which have approved them, it incorporates the objectives of the Regional Climate Air Energy Plans and the conclusions of the Regional Plans for RES connection, the latter deriving from the earlier. It supplements, at national level, the Ten-year Network Development Plan - TYNDP) and the Regional Investment Plans published by ENTSO-E4.

Every two years, the TYNDP present an updated view of the main community-wide power transmission development projects necessary on a European scale over the coming ten years.

3 Bilan prévisionnel de l’équilibre offre demande d’électricité en France 4 ENTSO-E: European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity