Use of the grid
Updated: 26.09.2017
Author: Jurga Tallat-Kelpšaitė
Grid operators are legally obliged to accept and transmit/distribute all electricity from renewable sources. According to the National Commission for Energy Control and Prices (NCC), the grid operator and the RES plant operator shall conclude an agreement on the use of the grid. The grid operator is obliged to enter into this agreement if all technical and legal requirements are met by the RES plant operator.
Procedure
| Process flow | TAccording to the Law on Energy from Renewable Sources and the Law on Electricity, RES plant operators have to adhere to the rules on the use of the grid (drafted by the TSO/DSOs and approved by the NCC) as well as to the technical requirements set by the grid operators. The rules on the use of the grid have to be based on objective, transparent and non-discriminatory criteria (Chapter III Art. 14 Par. 7 Law on Energy from Renewable Sources; Chapter IV Art. 20 Par. 1, Art. 22 Par. 2 Law on Electricity).
The rules on the use of the transmission and distribution grid (in Lithuanian only) can be found on the website of the NCC: - For the rules on the use of the transmission grid see: http://www.regula.lt/elektra/Puslapiai/pasinaudojimas-elektros-tinklais/litgrid-ab-elektros-energijos-gamintoju-pasinaudojimo-elektros-tinklais-tvarkos-aprasas.aspx
- For the rules on the use of the distribution grid see: http://www.regula.lt/elektra/Puslapiai/pasinaudojimas-elektros-tinklais/ab-lesto-elektros-energijos-gamintoju-pasinaudojimo-elektros-tinklais-tvarkos-aprasas.aspx
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| Deadlines | According to the NCC, deadlines are specified in the connection agreement. |
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| Obligation to inform | The transmission system operator is obliged to submit to the grid users information on forecasted shortages of generated power or transmission restrictions. He also has to publish on his website information relating to interconnections, grid use and capacity allocation as well as other information specified by laws (Chapter V Art. 31 Items 1, 21-23 Law on Electricity). Distribution system operator is obliged to publish all the information relevant for the effective access to the distribution grid (Chapter VI Art. 35 Par. 3 Law on Electricity). |
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Priority to renewable energy
- Priority to renewable energy
- Non-discrimination
The grid operator shall ensure priority access, transmission and (or) distribution of electricity produced from renewable sources. The priority right is guaranteed against conventional electricity producers (Chapter III Art. 17 Par. 1 Law on Energy from Renewable Sources).
Curtailment
Upon request from the grid operator, wind power plants with total installed capacity above 350 kW and hydro power plants with total installed capacity exceeding 5 MW have to be equipped with certain technical and operational measures, allowing grid operators at any time to reduce or increase their generating capacity (Chapter III Art. 19 Par. 3 Law on Energy from Renewable Sources).
However, curtailment is allowed only in case of emergency or due to other technical reasons, but in any case, curtailment shall proceed according to non-discriminatory criteria (Chapter III Art. 17 Par. 3, 4 Law on Energy from Renewable Sources). The RES plant operator, whose plant has been curtailed, is not entitled to compensation for damages, except in cases when damages were caused due to the fault of the grid operator or when RES plant operator’s right to be compensated for damages is fixed by legal acts (Chapter III Art. 17 Par. 3, 4 Law on Energy from Renewable Sources). The Law on Energy from Renewable Sources does not stipulate for any RES specific steps to be made on behalf of the grid operator before the curtailment. However, according to the transmission grid operator, in any case the RES plant operator shall be informed about the curtailment in advance. The NCC provides information on the plants to be disconnected and the time of disconnection. This information is published on the website of the transmission grid operator LITGRID AB (www.litgrid.eu/).
Distribution of costs
| Consumers | According to the Ministry of Energy, electricity consumers bear the costs of grid use. |
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| Distribution mechanism | According to the Ministry of Energy, the costs for the use of the grid are passed on to the electricity consumers through the electricity prices. |
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Lithuania