By Connie Dyrløv

In the energy area the future is international. The European markets must be integrated to an even greater extent than today, and there will be more binding agreements on a common European energy and environmental policy. This can be seen from System Plan 2011, which Energinet.dk has recently published.

- We are looking into a future with fossil fuel independence. This means that we must integrate large volumes of renewable energy into the energy system. At the same time, we must ensure well-functioning markets within the energy sector. And to solve these tasks satisfactorily, we must look to other countries to an even greater extent than today, says Dorthe Vinther, Vice President, Electricity System Development, Energinet.dk.

Electricity as the primary energy carrie
System Plan 2011 emphasises that electricity will become the primary energy carrier in the future. This will foster increased requirements in terms of electricity market development, intelligent control as well as the expansion and operation of the entire power grid. In the period leading up to 2020, the transmission grid will thus still have to be converted and expanded with new interconnections, large-scale integration of renewable energy and the undergrounding of many new and long sections.

In the gas area, it is the transition to an energy supply that is independent of fossil fuels and the interaction between the electricity, heat and transport systems that will feature prominently on the agenda in the next ten years. The Danish gas network has the potential to integrate renewable energy gases and function as energy storage for other types of energy. Gas may therefore become an important element in the energy system of tomorrow where the interaction between electricity, gas, heat and transport is vital.

- We are facing a very substantial task, and collaboration with the rest of Europe is incredibly important - both where cooperation within the EU and the collaboration with the other European TSOs are concerned, concludes Dorthe Vinther.

Energinet.dk prepares system plans every other year. The system plans are Energinet.dk's way of of reporting on its activities to the Danish Energy Agency and form the basis of the Danish Energy Agency's supervision of Energinet.dk.

Download System Plan 2011 - summary

Additional information
Dorthe Vinther, Vice President, Electricity System Development, dvi@energinet.dk, mobile +45 2333 8639
Lone Hansen, Head of Section, Strategic Planning, lhs@energinet.dk, mobile +45 3067 4735