SuperNode, as part of currENT – the European association of innovative grid companies – has responded to ENTSO-E’s Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) 2024 Scenarios Strategy consultation.
The response underscores the critical importance of a strategic, future-oriented approach to Europe’s energy landscape. currENT advocates for a holistic, long-term perspective that considers an optimal energy system for 2050 and to then work backward from there, planning and designing a transition to a fit-for-purpose, modern, optimised and decarbonised pan-European grid.
SuperNode and currENT firmly advocate for the integration of decarbonisation scenarios into identifying system needs. Reflecting on the limitations of past TYNDP approaches, they emphasise the need to avoid the oversight of key decarbonisation scenarios in the TYNDP System Needs Study. The TYNDP 2022 developed and consulted on two decarbonisation scenarios which were never reflected in the System Needs Study. These scenarios were developed because they were possible outcomes and it is vital that strategies are developed to address them. This approach must be avoided in 2024’s TYNDP to ensure we have the knowledge and strategies to address the most likely possible outcomes, should they come to pass.
Additionally, the response highlights concerns regarding technology cost assumptions. SuperNode and currENT emphasise the need for transparent and justifiable assumptions in estimating costs, particularly for HVDC cables which are forecast to remain relatively low and flat throughout the period, despite most commodity price analysts assuming large price increases for copper and other materials needed for the global energy transition. CurrENT calls for a realistic evaluation of material costs and technology developments in line with the global energy transition.
You can find currENT’s full response here: TYNDP 2024 Scenarios Input Parameters