Transnet BW celebrates opening of Brussels office

• The southwestern German transmission system operator TransnetBW is now present in Europe with an office in Brussels.
• At the inauguration of the office, guests were given a preview of a new study on the European energy system.
• The study proves that for the energy transition to succeed, energy policy and supply must be viewed in European terms.

Brussels / Stuttgart. TransnetBW presented its new study “Energy System 2050 – Towards a decarbonised Europe“ at the official opening of its Brussels office. The company celebrated with European opinion leaders Catharina Sikow-Magny (European Commission), Michael Bloss (Member of the European Parliament), Corinna Grajetzky (RWE AG), Dr Leonardo Meeus (Florence School of Regulation & Vlerick Business School) and Prof. Dr Dogan Keles (Technical University of Denmark). The celebration took place yesterday at the representative office of Baden-Württemberg in Brussels, just around the corner from TransnetBW’s premises at Rue Belliard 40.

European office of the southwestern German transmission system operator (TSO)

The TSO of Baden-Württemberg, TransnetBW secures the power supply for 11 million people in one of the most dynamic economic hubs of Europe. To accomplish this task and shape the energy transition, the role of Europe is of utmost importance. “It is for this reason that we are publishing our study ‘Energy System 2050 – Towards a decarbonised Europe’ this summer,” stated TransnetBW CEO Dr Werner Götz, who opened the high-level event. “It is time to think and act more European than ever. With the opening of our Brussels office, we are expanding our network and dialogue across sectors and stakeholders, who share our mission: advancing the energy transition together.”

Michael Jesberger, TransnetBW COO, added: “It is essential for TSOs to know how the future European energy system will look. Our Energy System 2050 study gives detailed insights into developing an energy-resilient and decarbonised Europe, and the related challenges for the operability of the power system.”

Introducing the new study, Energy System 2050 – towards a decarbonised Europe

The study considers European climate neutrality in 2050 as a target scenario. Using a detailed model, it compares two cost optimal paths to reach this ambitious goal. The first path relies on a global market with gas imports from outside the EU, while the other develops an increasingly energy resilient Europe. Based on in-depth analyses, the results show how climate neutrality can be achieved by 2050. Measures are proposed for each sector – renewables, heating, transport, and industry as well as the electricity and gas grids. The main outcomes are:

To be effective, the energy transition must be planned and achieved jointly at European level. The energy transition gives Europe the chance to become significantly more independent of energy imports. The EU27 will need an installed power plant capacity of around 3,500 to 4,000 GW. To achieve this goal, the capacity needs to start growing today.

Electricity must be understood in a new way. To implement an efficient energy system with variable renewables, the concept of “demand determines generation” no longer applies. In the future, temporal flexibility must be guaranteed through storage facilities and demand management in all connected sectors.

Electricity and gas infrastructure are the backbone for the energy transition. Cross-border energy trading is becoming increasingly important. Therefore, a massive expansion of 2.8 times the current electrical grid is necessary. By contrast, the development of the hydrogen and gas grids depends on the path taken for the energy system.

The energy transition is not a national task – it must be implemented across national borders. TransnetBW is therefore examining the energy transition in the European Union, not only its regional control area or Germany. The new study provides a basis for going beyond national strategies to begin the international planning of a “European energy transition thought through to the end”.

The official presentation of the study will take place online on 27 June.