Energinet.dk is responsible for the operation of the main electricity and gas transmission systems and for ensuring sufficient supply of electricity and gas to cover consumer demand. Energinet.dk is also responsible for ensuring that the quality of electricity and gas is in order.
Access to gas storage facilities
With a view to maintaining gas supplies in emergency situations, eg in the event of damage to one of the pipelines in the North Sea, Energinet.dk has access to gas storage facilities and other gas supplies which can cover 60 days of consumption for the part of the Danish gas market that has no alternative energy supply.
Furthermore, Energinet.dk has reserve capacity to handle brief emergency situations.
Agreements on ancillary services
In the electricity system, balance must be maintained between electricity production and consumption at all times as electricity cannot be stored. Energinet.dk is responsible for this balance and therefore enters into agreements on the supply of ancillary services in the form of reserves and regulating power.
Reserves are normally used when faults occur in the transmission grid or in the event of trips of major production units.
Regulating power, which can consist of the upward or downward regulation of electricity production or consumption, is used to even out imbalances which arise when electricity consumption or electricity production are not in line with the forecast on which the market players based their schedules for a particular 24-hour period. Imbalances may arise, for example when wind turbines generate more or less power than expected, or when electricity consumption is higher or lower than expected.
Today, ancillary services are primarily supplied by Danish electricity producers, but they may also be bought from generators or transmission system operators in the neighbouring countries.
Differences between Eastern and Western Denmark
From an electrical point of view, Denmark is divided into two areas as Jutland-Funen on the one hand and Zealand and Bornholm on the other are not interconnected. Furthermore, the two areas are not synchronous (‘not in step’). Jutland-Funen is synchronous with Continental Europe, while Zealand and Bornholm are synchronous with Sweden, Norway and Finland. This means that the two areas are managed differently in a number of ways.
Collaboration with neighbouring areas
Energinet.dk engages in collaboration with neighbouring areas to maintain stable power supplies.
The company is a member of Nordel, a body for cooperation between the transmission system operators in the Nordic countries.
The joint Nordic system operation agreement forms the basis of the collaboration between Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.
In Western Denmark, the UCTE Operational Handbook forms the basis of the collaboration between Western Denmark and Continental Europe. Energinet.dk is an associated member of the UCTE, the European association of transmission system operators, but is now applying for full membership with a view to obtaining the same rights as the other member countries and so as to be able to contribute to development within the UCTE.
New common markets in the Nordic region
In the Nordic organisation, Nordel, Energinet.dk is working with the other Nordic countries (minus Iceland) to establish common markets for reserves and regulating power.
The aim is to establish submarkets in 2007.