Connection to the Grid

Updated: 23.01.2019

Author: Tim Sternkopf

In Turkey, the connection to the grid is organised through a bidding procedure. The available connection regions and points are published by TEIAS on annual basis every 31st of March of the year. A plant operator who wants to be connected to the grid needs a production license, clarify the connection details and arrange an agreement of the connection with TEIAS.

Procedure

Process flow

Production License

A plant operator who wants to be connected to the grid, needs a production license first (§ 7 par.1 EPLY).

Connection Details

TEIAS publishes the available connection regions and points on its homepage after a confirmation from the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA). The confirmation needs to take the capacity planning for a timeframe of at least 10 years, so that possible investors can apply for a connection, into consideration (§ 34 par. 1 & 2 EMGR).

An applying plant operator needs to give the necessary information specified in EMGR to TEIAS. Then both have to agree on the technical details, e.g. the voltage level of the connection. If the installed capacity is over 50 MW, the connection needs to be established with the transmission system. If the capacity does not exceed 50 MW it can be connected either to the transmission or the distribution system. (§ 4 art. 28 & 76, § 5, EMGR).

If there is just one company applying, it will agree with TEIAS on the connection point. When more companies are applying to the same connection point, a working group is established after a decision of EMRA, which has to organise a bid-meeting with all the applying companies. They have to place their bid in a sealed envelope and hand it to the working group. If there is one highest bid, it will get the access point. If there is the same bid amount twice ore even more often, they make a new offer again in a sealed envelope, but without the companies with a bid below that until there is one highest offer left (§ 4 – 6 EEÜST).

Connection Agreement

The plant operator asks TEIAS about a recommendation and gets an answer within 45 days (§ 7 art. 1 EMGR). The next step is the connection point agreement between TEIAS and the plant operator (§ 7 – 9 EMGR). All the information asked in Ek-5 art. 1 of the EMGR is given to TEIAS by the plant operator. TEIAS submits an offer to the plant operator within 60 days, if they don’t need more information. If the given information is not satisfying, TEIAS can ask about the points listed in Ek-5 art. 2 of the EMGR, which means that the duration expands to 90 days (§ 8 art. 1 EMGR). If there are still some unanswered questions, TEIAS can still ask for some changes, which have to be fixed within 30 more days (§ 10 art. 1 EMGR). Now, if everything is satisfying, TEIAS gives the date of the connection to the plant operator (§ 10 art. 2 EMGR).

Deadlines

On 31 March of every year, TEIAS publishes the available connection regions and points on its homepage after a confirmation from EMRA. The confirmation takes capacity planning for a timeframe of at least 10 years, so that possible investors can apply for a connection, into consideration (§ 34 art. 1 & 2 EMGR).

A plant operator gets a recommendation from TEIAS within 45 days after requesting it (§ 7 art. 1 & 2 EMGR).

After an official apply with necessary information from Ek-5 art. 1 of the EMGR, TEIAS sends the plant operator an offer within 60 days, if they don’t need more information. If they do need more information the duration expands to 90 days (§ 8 art. 1 EMGR).

TEIAS is eligible to request changes within 30 more days (§ 10 art. 1 EMGR).

Priority to renewable energy

  • Priority to renewable energy
  • Non-discrimination

At the stage of making up an opinion on the connection during the evaluation of license applications by EMRA, production facilities based on renewable energy resources will be given priority (§ 6/B art. 3 YEK).

Capacity limits (quantitative criteria)

TEIAS and the distribution companies publish the connectable power capacity for the next 5 years on an annual basis (§ 23 EML). If there are multiple applications for a specific connection point, the permission of connection is given to the party paying the highest contribution per megawatt. This grid connection tariff can be paid to TEIAS up to 3 years after the commissioning and is paid per megawatt of installed capacity (§ 7 art. 4 (ç) EML).

Distribution of costs

If a grid expansion is necessary, the plant operator pays for this expansion. These costs are count up with the costs of the grid access and usage costs, which the plant operator has to pay to TEIAS (§ 7 art. 3 EMGR).

Plant operator

The plant operator pays for the connection and the use of the grid (§ 22 art. 1 REMCUS). 

Turkey

Further information

  • T.C. Enerji Piyasası Düzenleme Kurulu (EPDK) - Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA)
  • +90 312 201 40 01-02
  • EPDK website

Basic information on legal sources