Transelectrica – Delgaz Grid Partnership for CARMEN Project Implementation
The president of Transelectrica’s Management Board, Bogdan Toncescu, and the CEO of Delgaz Grid, the electricity and natural gas distribution company part of German group E.ON, Dragos Barbulescu, on October 7 signed the Partnership Agreement for the implementation of the Carpathian Modernized Energy Network (CARMEN) project.
CARMEN is a project developed in partnership with the Hungarian transmission operator MAVIR Magyar Villamosenergia-ipari Átviteli Rendszerirányító ZRt and is in the process of evaluation at European Commission level for admission on the 5th List of Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) in the ‘Smart Grids’ theme area.
The Partnership Agreement also marks the change of Transelectrica’s status within the project, from supporting partner to active partner.
Through CARMEN project, partners aim at modernizing and developing the transmission and distribution networks, as well as increasing their interoperability, both at national and European levels, for reaching objectives of common interest. Therefore, it is estimated to upgrade 23 transformer stations, 65 transformer sub-stations, high-voltage air lines and implement IT and specific communication technologies, install in the power grid modern means of voltage control at the level of the energy system.
“Transelectrica’s vision in the fields of research and innovation, energy efficiency, new technologies, asset management and digitization, aims at reaching the SMART GRID objectives, an absolutely necessary concept in the reality of energy systems at European level. CARMEN project is a bold one that foreshadows the definition and implementation of smart grids, based on collaboration principles, technologies, and cutting-edge systems for network management. From the perspective of the management approach, our targets converge towards accelerating the investment program and aiming at a corporate strategy ensuring proactivity and efficiency of our actions.
We consider an immediate priority the implementation of all measures necessary to adapt our network to the requirements of our market and of the European energy industry, all the more so as the targets assumed by Romania as a European Union member under the «Green Deal» and the «Fit For 55» package compel us to adopt high standards and focus our attention on areas with great potential of creating added value for the whole industry and for end-consumers in particular. Therefore, projects such as this must be promoted and the collaborations between actors of the energy industry must be expanded to reach the common goals proposed,” said the President of Transelectrica’s Management Board.
“Delgaz Grid’s priority is to accelerate greening and digitization of the electricity network we manage, for integration in a sustainable manner of the new clean energy capacities, while ensuring an efficient and flexible management of the increasingly volatile energy flows caused by the greater penetration of renewables into the national energy mix.
CARMEN initiative will become the first Project of Common Interest in the ‘Smart Grids’ theme area on Romania’s territory, representing the most ambitious project of our company, in terms of both technical complexity and budget value and a major opportunity to upgrade the electricity distribution network in the North-East region of Romania. We thank our partners at CNTEE Transelectrica SA for the trust granted and the active involvement in the structuring and implementation of this project. I am convinced that today we laid the foundations of a long-term collaboration that will bring major benefits in the process of transformation of the Romanian energy system, to the benefit of our customers,” said the CEO of Delgaz Grid.
The value of CARMEN project amounts to approximately EUR 150 million and its implementation will last 6 years, starting 2023, following to be proposed for funding within the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
Key facts
The name ‘CARMEN’ stands for Carpathian Modernization of Energy Network, which is also the main objective of the Project itself – to modernize the existing distribution grid in order to reflect the needs and requirements of the Smart Grid infrastructure. CARMEN Project aims to improve the quality of the service provided to the customers and to implement the mandatory performance standards for the electricity distribution operators via modernization with focus to achieve national and European requirements regarding decarbonization, digitization and streamlining of the energy system.
- Project Promoters: Delgaz Grid
- Project Partners: C.N.T.E.E. Transelectrica S.A, MAVIR Magyar Villamosenergia-ipari Átviteli Rendszerirányító ZRt.
- Project area: Romania-Hungary
- Implementation period: 2023-2028
