Turkey may enter full ENTSO-E flows after successful results

Turkey could increase its electricity cross-border capacity with the European system to as much as 1GW later this year as the results of the current trial period are "very good", a source at the Turkish grid operator TEIAS told ICIS.
The connection of the Turkish system to its Bulgarian and Greek counterparts started in September 2010. So far the trial interconnection comprised the completion of two technical stages involving the synchronisation of the grids.
The two stages ended in June 2011 and were followed by a third and final phase, which involved limited commercial exchanges with Bulgaria and Greece (see EDEM 4 May 2011).
TEIAS and the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), the authority supervising the interconnection, are now expecting to assess the results of the tests to date and decide on future steps.
"The results so far are very good," the source at TEIAS said. "We have carried out a lot of investment and have recently increased the NTC [network transmission capacity]."
He explained that TEIAS had carried out investments, particularly in southeastern Turkey, where the system tends to come under strain during the irrigation period.
This month, TEIAS, together with Greek and Bulgarian counterparts ADMIE and ESO, increased its imports from the initially allocated 400MW to 550MW and pushed up its exports to the two countries from 300MW to 412MW.
The flows in both directions retain existing proportions, which means that two-thirds of the volumes flow to and from Bulgaria and one-third to and from Greece (see EDEM 22 April 2013).
Once the trial period is complete and Turkey is deemed ready to start permanent synchronous flows, the country could import as much as 1GW from Bulgaria and Greece, according to a scenario laid out by TEIAS in its 2013-2022 master plan and published last month.
Neither the TEIAS source nor ENTSO-E could confirm the volume.
However, ENTSO-E said in an email that Turkey was due to complete its trial period in September.
"If the situation in September remains stable, the process of compliance checking will commence," an ENTSO-E press officer said.
If TEIAS complies with the policies of ENTSO-E, it will be invited to sign a contract with the transmission system operators of mainland Europe.
This contract stipulates the legal aspects of TEIAS`s participation in the operation of the synchronous area.
(THE ICIS HEREN REPORTS - EDEM 17141 / 23 July 2013)