Fingrid identifies increased transmission needs to future proof grid

Finland’s TSO Fingrid has published an electricity system vision, outlining four different roadmaps to a net zero system, across all of which increased transmission capacity has been labelled priority.

According to Fingrid, the ability of the main grid to connect new projects and transmit production to electricity demand facilities is key to making a significant increase in the production and consumption of electricity in the system possible.

Fingrid’s electricity system vision 2023 states how the TSO’s current investment plan already enables the connection of a considerable amount of clean energy, but realising the highest production and consumption scenarios requires extensive main grid reinforcements in addition to their current investment plan.

At the same time, adds Fingrid, in addition to the construction of the grid, new solutions are also needed to maximize the transmission capacity of the existing grid as well as the new one to be constructed and to increase its utilisation rate.

For example, the TSO lays out how mechanisms that control the location of consumption and production or mitigate grid restrictions must be investigated. This would allow more new projects to be connected to the main grid more quickly.

The vision outlines four scenarios, which represent possible trends in electricity consumption, production and storage. Each of the transmission scenarios is based on the presumption that Finland’s emission-reduction targets are achieved by 2035 alongside full electrification of the country’s heating, transport and industry.

“It seems that the growth in wind power will continue to be very strong in the 2020s, and interest in the construction of solar and offshore wind power is also on the rise. During the past year, enquiries from electricity-intensive industry to connect to Fingrid’s main grid have also increased significantly. Finland is currently one of the hottest markets for clean electricity in Europe”, says Mikko Heikkilä, manager, strategic grid planning at Fingrid.

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Transmission scenarios: Mapping net zero

The four scenarios outlined in the TSO’s document include:

• Power to products, where Finland becomes a major exporter of products made using electricity (P2X).

  The scenario assumes that this is based on hydrogen production located close to hydrogen consumption, which requires the transmission of electricity needed towards industrial consumption points.

  The majority of Electric Vehicles (EVs) are here charged smartly and, in contrast to other scenarios, Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology is widely used for bidirectional charging.

• Hydrogen from Wind, where Finland achieves carbon neutrality as a significant exporter of hydrogen.

  According to the vision, storage of electricity as hydrogen enables a very high share of variable wind in the power system, resulting in a high share of converter-connected production, low inertia and maximum north-south energy transmission needs.

  The majority of EVs are charged smartly, although V2G technology is not widespread.

  This scenario would require cross-border hydrogen connections as well as an extensive hydrogen transmission infrastructure, which would contribute to energy transmission as either electricity or hydrogen, depending on the given situation.

• Windy Seas, whereby a sharp increase in offshore wind power is key.

  Specifically, electricity production is focused on western Finland. Transmission of an influx in renewable energy is cited here as a key challenge, although this would be remedied with concentrated construction of offshore plants to reduce the need for electricity transmission and balance offshore wind power production.

  As in the prior scenario, EVs are charged smartly and V2G technology is not widespread.

  The scenario assumes the existence of hydrogen transmission infrastructure in the country, which allows for the transmission of energy, although on a lower scale as in the Hydrogen from Wind scenario.

• Local power, wherein electricity is produced from a variety of sources, the most important of which are onshore, conventional nuclear, SMR nuclear and solar power.

  The amount of flexibility from hydrogen, heating and transport systems is here lower than in other scenarios.

  Within this scenario, electricity consumption growth is more moderate, especially in the production of green hydrogen and in new electricity-intensive industries, such as the battery industry, data centres and the P2X industry.

  However, in this scenario, the hydrogen network is not built and hydrogen storage is marginal, which increases the need for flexible electricity production and storage facilities.

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Transmission needs increase in each scenario

According the vision, the need to transmit electricity from north to south of the country will increase significantly under all the scenarios, compared with today.

The need for electricity transmission increases the most under the Hydrogen from Wind and Power to Products scenarios, which foresee the greatest increases in consumption and a larger proportion of electricity production in northern and eastern Finland than the other scenarios.

Under the Hydrogen from Wind and Windy Seas scenarios, some of the electricity transmission needs can be covered by transmitting hydrogen instead of electricity.

Under the Local Power scenario, the need for transmission is much lower than in the other scenarios due to lower overall electricity consumption and a greater proportion of electricity consumption being located in southern Finland.

Under the Windy Seas scenario, the growth in the need for transmission is offset by the fact that a significant proportion of offshore wind power is assumed to be below cross-section Finland. There is also significant transmission need from west coast to inland, however the pressure on transmission need is decreased due submarine cable connection, included in the scenario, that enables electricity export from west coast to Germany.

In addition to the existing main grid, all of the vision‘s the scenarios are based on 400kV strengthening in accordance with Fingrid’s present investment plan.

Fingrid has stated that it will continue to work on developing the main grid; the next step is to update the main grid development plan, which will be published later this year, setting out the main grid investments planned to be made over the next ten years.