Litgrid completes ‘most important’ project for grid synchronisation with continental Europe

Lithuanian transmission system operator Litgrid has installed an Automative Generation Management System, which they are calling one of the most important projects to prepare for grid synchronisation with continental European networks.

The system marks the completion of the 8th synchronisation project by the TSO, aiming to strengthen the country’s transmission network.

According to the TSO, the software will contribute to ensuring the stability of the country’s electricity system and will open additional opportunities for market participants to earn by providing balancing services.

“The automatic generation management system helps dispatchers ensure the most important parameters of the electricity network in real time – the balance of production and consumption and the frequency,”

The implementation of the system was one of the necessary requirements for joining the continental European synchronous zone. At the moment, the automatic generation control system has been successfully installed”, said Rokas Masiulis, head of Litgrid.

“The updated dispatch control system, which already has an automatic generation control (AGV) module, was installed by Litgrid last October. By the end of the year, additional functionalities were implemented in the dispatcher training module. This week the project is fully completed with the approval of his report.”

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Automated management

The intelligent AGV system ensures automatic frequency recovery and balance control of the electrical system – it constantly monitors the parameters of the electrical network and calculates the required activation power every few seconds.

The AGV system then sends reserve activation commands to the service providers, quickly compensating for the deviation of the electricity balance and restoring the frequency of the electrical system to the nominal value of 50Hz.

After synchronization with continental European grids, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will be responsible for independent management of electricity production and consumption balance, as well as frequency in their grid.

Therefore, states the TSO, AGV will help to regulate the Lithuanian electricity system in such a way as to prevent an imbalance that could affect the entire synchronous zone of continental Europe.

All market participants who have flexible devices and meet the technical requirements will be able to provide balancing services.

The installed AGV system and the market mechanisms that are being developed will allow electricity market participants to additionally employ flexible production, consumption or storage devices and receive income.

It is planned that the automatic frequency restoration reserve balancing services will be ordered in the third quarter of this year.

Until synchronisation with continental European grids, however, it is planned to connect to Europe’s automatic frequency recovery reserve (aFRR) balancing energy market platform Picasso.

Grid sychronisation projects

In total, Litgrid has already implemented seven other grid synchronisation projects:

• Extension of the 330kV Bitėnai transformer substation

• Construction of the 110kV line Pagėgiai-Bitėnai

• Reconstruction of the 330kV line Lithuanian Power Plant-Vilnius

• Extension of the “LitPol Link” connection

• Test of emergency connection to continental European grids via the “LitPol Link” synchronous connection

• North Eastern Lithuania optimisation of the transmission network

• Lithuanian isolated work test and installation of the AGV system.

Until now, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, together with Russia and Belarus, operate in the IPS / UPS system, where the electricity frequency is centrally regulated in Russia.

The operators of the three Baltic States agreed to synchronise with continental European networks in 2025.

Grid synchronisation projects implemented by operators of the Baltic States and Polish electricity transmission systems are partially financed by the European Union from the European Infrastructure Networks Facility.