Innogy SE and Energis are partnering in the Smart Border Initiative (SBI) to develop world’s first cross-border smart grid at the distribution grid level in the Lorraine/Saarland region. Focus of these activities is an interconnector at the medium voltage level between Energis in Germany and Enedis on the French side. The cross-border use of flexibilities by feeders and consumers is intended to reduce grid expansion and create added value for the economy.

Within the framework of this project, support services are required to carry out the necessary steps as well as the development of various options for the integration of an MS interconnector into the market and network operation as well as TSO-VSO processes. Based on this, recommendations for action will be derived.

An analysis of the necessary regulatory tests for the integration of an MS interconnector should be carried out. Various options for integrating interconnectors in the transmission network area are discussed. Subsequently, possible deployment options of the MS interconnector (market, network, security of supply, combination) are worked out and the respective necessary integration processes are presented. Recommendations on the optimal marketing option for the MS interconnector are presented. These findings are mainly based on the analysis of the current European processes for the market integration of interconnectors in the transmission system as well as the current and future framework conditions of congestion management in Germany and their respective implications for the MS interconnector.