Digital klokkenprobleem Europe partly solved

BRUSSELS – The electricity networks of Serbia and Kosovo are once again in balance. This is according to the European organization of stroomnetbeheerders ENTSO-E and the first step towards a final solution for the frequency problems in the European electricity network. By the imbalance in the Balkans run electronic clocks in 25 countries, including the Netherlands, behind.

The frequency of the grid was the past few weeks is slightly lower than the usual average of 50 hertz. Many electric clocks, e.g. alarm clocks, and household appliances to keep the time on the basis of alternating current; where the direction of flow just slightly less often than 50 times per second, switches, clocks slow down. The ’loss’ is now about six minutes.

According to ENTSO-E the network operators in Serbia and Kosovo ensured that “the abnormalities that the frequency affected are stopped.” Now is the case to the shortage of energy in the system to solve. There must be some 113 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of ’teruggestopt’ in the network to get everything back to normal. Who must take the blame, it is not yet clear.

Argument: Kosovo and Serbia

The problem arose due to disagreement between Serbia and its former province of Kosovo. In Kosovo there is a lack of power produced. The Serbian transmission and system operator in January and February failed the high-voltage grid back into balance, because Kosovo without the permission of electricity would have decreased.

Playing in the background that Serb residents in the north of Kosovo, the government in Pristina does not recognise and does not pay for their power. They want to be a customer of Serbian companies, but that can do not yet, despite an agreement between the countries.

ENTSO-E was a Friday afternoon is not accessible for a further explanation.