The European interconnected grids in a changing environment

The disintegration of the former Soviet Union and the opening of the electr icity and gas market as a goal of the European Union has initiated a change in the structure of the European electricity utilities as never before. To support the challenge of extending the western European interconnected net work on a technical and scientifically base, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeins chaft (DFG, German Research Association) has promoted a special program dur ing the past 3 years. Considering the development of the western European i nterconnected network, future planning preconditions, new methods of operat ion and maintenance, and other related research methods for a trans-Europea n system have been derived.