The national power company warns of the risk of the large participation of wind and solar plants in the National Transmission Network.
After the mega blackout on December 28 that affected more than 10 million users in the country, the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) seeks to limit the interconnection of private plants, mainly renewable (wind and solar) in the National Network Transmission (RNT), then, said the state company, this puts the National Electric System at enormous risk, which could collapse.
The state production company is going to review each of the openings in the transmission lines that have been made by private companies, which are: 24 power generating plants on 400 kV (kilovolt) lines, 50 on 230 kV, and 70 on the 115 kV. In total, there are 144 reviews that will be made over 20 weeks, but not all correspond to renewable.
The company’s major emphasis was on 400 kV lines that are designed to be able to transport large blocks of energy from one point to another.
In the analysis that the national electricity company commissioned a group of independent experts, it was found that, although two transmission lines between Tamaulipas and Nuevo León were affected by the grassland fire, the root cause of the interruption of the electricity supply was due to the improvisation in the interconnection of the San Carlos Wind Power Plant of the company Acciona, which is facing legal action from the CFE.
This company installed provisional protections without complying with what was specified in the study of facilities issued by the National Center for Energy Control (Cenace), since “it did not fully comply with the Network Code.”
This is how it was determined that a major problem that threatens the country’s electrical safety is the “balkanization” of the lines.
This term refers to the fact that transmission lines are sectioned to insert intermittent (renewable) energy generation plants, when they must be kept as they are, since they are designed to transport large blocks of energy between regions, according to what has been explained. by the CFE at a press conference.
The experts pointed out that, based on the high number of plants connected through the opening of transmission lines in the RNT, balkanization was classified as a contribution to the scenario that produced the December 28 disturbance, so the recommendation is not to continue with this practice.
In this sense, the CFE general director, Manuel Bartlett Díaz, reiterated his criticism of the energy reform promoted by the past administration and the abuses that have endangered the transmission and distribution lines.
“The national electricity system is at risk in this way, it constitutes a threat to continue with these attitudes of breaking the grid at any time that a private party requests it because it creates a brutal danger to the country’s energy security,” said Bartlett Díaz.
In the actions to follow and to address this problem, it was also recommended that the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) suspend the permits and contracts for power plants without constructive progress.
Manuel Bartlett warned that if you don’t do something, you run the risk of the National Electric System collapsing as it almost happened on December 28.
Therefore, in his capacity as general director and as his attributions grant it, he will guarantee the security of the transmission and distribution networks, he pointed out that he is in no way a threat to private companies.
Source: El Financiero
