Network planning

The Austrian network development plan is a ten-year forward plan for ensuring safe and reliable system operation. It must contain all measures that are needed to ensure that the network is suitably optimised, enhanced and expanded over the next ten years so that all needs are addressed and security of supply is maintained.

Section 37(1) of the Elektrizitätswirtschafts- und -organisationsgesetz (Electricity Act) 2010 specifies that the transmission system operators must send a ten-year network development plan to E-Control each year, following a consultation of all relevant market players. Based on current and forecast supply and demand, the plan must contain efficient measures to guarantee the adequacy of the system and ensure a high degree of availability of capacity (security of supply of the infrastructure).

In drawing up the plan, technical and economic expediency, the interests of all market participants and consistency with the Union-wide network development plan are to be taken into account.

The network development plan must in particular:

  • indicate to market participants the main transmission infrastructure that needs to be built or extended over the next ten years;
  • list all the investments already decided and identify new investments which have to be executed in the next ten years; and
  • provide for a time frame for all investment projects.

When elaborating the plan, the transmission system operator make reasonable assumptions about the evolution of generation, supply, consumption and the exchanges with other countries, taking into account investment plans for regional networks.

Before approving the plans, E-Control consults them publicly. We publish the results of these consultations and point out in particular where there is a need for investments.

We check whether the ten-year network development plan covers all investment needs identified during the consultation process, and whether it is consistent with the ENTSO’s ten-year network development plan (TYNDP) referred to in Article 8(3)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 714/2009.

The approved network development plans and approval decisions as well as any open and the past consultations are available from our German pages.