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PSE designated as the power transmission system operator in Poland – until the end of 2030

17 June 2014, 13:01

PSE designated as the power transmission system operator in Poland – until the end of 2030
By decision of 16 June 2014, the President of URE designated Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne S. A. (PSE) as the power transmission system operator in the territory of the Republic of Poland for the period from 2 July 2014 to 31 December 2030. The existing applicable decision by the President of URE of 2007, under which PSE acts as TSO, shall expire on 1 July 2014.

The decision by the President of URE is a confirmation that Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne S.A. has conditions for efficient management of the power transmission system in the area of the Republic of Poland in an economically effective way and properly performs the tasks of the power transmission system operator, referred to, in particular, in Article 9c(2) of the Act – Energy Law (Journal of Laws of 2012, item 1059, as amended).

In order to designate PSE S. A. as the power transmission system operator in Poland, the Company was required to hold a licence for power transmission and to obtain a certificate of independence. Both requirements have been met:

  • by decision of 28 May 2013, the President of URE extended the term of validity of the PSE licence for power transmission, until 31 December 2030, and
  • by decision of 4 June 2014, the President of URE granted PSE the certificate of the compliance with the independence criteria referred to in Article 9d(1a) of the Act Energy Law.

The obligation to hold the certificate of the compliance with the independence criteria was introduced by the provisions of the Act of 26 July 2013, amending the Act – Energy Law and some other acts, which entered into force on 11 September 2013. The amendment implemented into the Polish legal order the provisions of the Directive of the European Parliament and Council 2009/72/EC of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity, imposing on the entity acting as a power transmission system operator (or an applicant for the designation as TSO) the obligation to hold a certificate certifying the compliance with the independence criteria.

The several-month-long certification process was initiated in October 2013 upon request of PSE. Once the European Commission, in April 2014, issued a favourable opinion of the compliance with the independence criteria by PSE, the President of URE issued a final decision granting PSE the certificate of the compliance with the independence criteria.

The fact of obtaining the first Polish certificate of independence confirms that PSE acts in accordance with the requirements of both Polish and European law, while remaining, in terms of the legal and organisational form and decision-making, independent of the economic activity area with regard to the production and marketing of electricity.

The completion of the process of arrangements and verifications necessary for the designation of PSE as the power transmission system operator confirms the current achievements of the Company and opens a new stage where the major challenges will include the implementation of large investments in the power infrastructure and creation of the common European energy market –stresses Henryk Majchrzak, President of PSE.