DTe Sets High Quality Standards for Electricity Grids

The Office for Energy Regulation (DTe) today approved new quality standards for the high-voltage electricity grids. As a result, the high quality of the grids has been set out in formal criteria. For customers connected to the high-voltage grid (mainly electricity producers) this provides clarity in relation to the minimum quality standards that they may expect at each moment with regard to their own connection.

The electricity grid managers and the electricity producers have tried in vain for some time to reach agreement on these quality criteria for the high-voltage grids. After extensive consultation with all parties involved, DTe has set the criteria in such a way that the present high quality of the grids is maintained. By means of this decision, DTe has provided clarity for all parties connected to these grids and this will give rise to uniformity and certainty. Setting these criteria is one of the instruments which DTe has at its disposal to guarantee quality.

In this decision, DTe stipulates that supplementary criteria must be met, in addition to these minimum criteria, with regard to the average quality of the high-voltage grid. Since insufficient reliable data are available at present to determined these criteria, DTe has decided to instruct the grid managers to carry out additional measurements in the coming year. On the basis of these data, DTe will set further standards for the average quality of the grids in mid-2004.

The criteria which have now been approved define the minimum quality standards with which the high-voltage grids must comply. Depending on the location of the grid, the grid must at least meet the quality criteria which have now been set at all times. This means that the grid manager must ensure that the average quality of the grid is substantially higher than the prescribed minimum requirements. This will guarantee the internationally high quality of the Dutch electricity grids for the future.