The Smart Grid Carpathian Modernized Energy Network (CARMEN) project, developed in partnership by the electricity and gas distributor Delgaz Grid, part of the German E.ON group, and electricity transmission system operators of Romania and Hungary – Transelectrica and MAVIR, has been included in the 5th list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI), adopted by the European Commission.
The CARMEN project has a value of around 150 million euros and its implementation will run for a period of 6 years, starting in 2023, and will be proposed for funding under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program.
Projects of Common Interest are key cross-border energy infrastructure projects for building a more integrated and resilient EU internal energy market and pursuing energy and climate goals. This 5th PCI list comprises 98 projects: 67 in the field of electricity transmission and storage, 20 in the field of natural gas, 6 projects in CO2 networks and 5 projects in smart electricity distribution networks.
Through the CARMEN project, the partners aim to modernize and develop electricity transmission and distribution networks, as well as increase their interoperability, both at national and European level, in order to achieve objectives of common interest. Thus, it is estimated the modernization of 23 substations, 65 substations, high voltage overhead lines and the implementation of specific IT and communication technologies, the installation in the electric transmission network of modern means of voltage control at the level of the energy system.
CARMEN will directly contribute to increasing the take-up capacity in the low voltage network of electricity produced from renewable sources by prosumers, the project being an extremely important step towards accelerating the greening and digitization of the electricity transmission and distribution network managed by those three partners.
