“Border dispute lays bare Germany’s fragile electricity infrastructure”

The dispute about the decision to split the German-Austrian common power price zone shows the difficulties of designing a common EU energy market in light of missing grid infrastructure, writes Paul Hodgson for EurActiv. Trans-border power trade, as well as that from Germany’s north to its south, is often bigger than the direct power lines allow for, causing so-called loop flows through neighbouring countries. The EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER)’s appeals board is due to rule on Austria’s objection to the split by 17 March.

Read the article in German here.

For background read the CLEW news digest article German regulator announces preparations to terminate common power zone with Austria and the CLEW articles Loop flows: Why is wind power from northern Germany putting east European grids under pressure? and Europe's largest electricity market set to split.