System Management

Brauweiler - on duty around the clock and every day

Transmission System Operation for Amprion GmbH is located at Brauweiler, on the western periphery of Cologne. The main control centre for the transmission grid of the then "Rheinisch Westfälisches Elektrizitätswerk" - RWE was established here in 1928. The previous name "Hauptschaltleitung Brauweiler" (Brauweiler control centre) has contributed to making Brauweiler well known across Europe. This is because of the special tasks that Transmission System Operation performs not only for the Amprion grid, but also for Germany and the northern section of the European transmission grid.

The tasks of Transmission System Operation can be broken down into three main areas:

  • It is responsible for monitoring, managing and controlling the entire transmission grid system; these are the 380 kV and 220 kV voltage levels. The approximately 16,5 m x 4 m mimic board in the control room is an important tool for the engineers working here. The tasks include calling up power plant operating schedules, monitoring the voltage and controlling the frequency. In a nutshell, the Brauweiler team is responsible for secure system operations - around the clock and every day of the year.
  • Furthermore, Transmission System Operation is responsible for the coordination of interconnected system operation in Germany as part of system planning. This means that each day all energy transmissions among the German transmission grid operators are coordinated for the following day. For every supplier there must be a corresponding recipient so that "generation and consumption" are always in equilibrium. This results in the need for system balancing, which checks every day by means of meter readings whether the planned energy transmissions were carried out correctly.
  • The third area of Transmission System Operation is the coordination and system balancing of interconnected system operation in the northern section of the European transmission grid, which includes Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary. The coordination tasks described above for energy transmission within Germany are also performed for international energy transmissions for the countries listed.

The deregulation in the energy industry has created new challenges for all system operators, which have to be mastered nationally and internationally. Their experience provides the essential basis for the planning of European transmission grid development and modernisation.

 

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