With the smart grid connection, the Turkish Electricity Transmission Company (TEIAS) will be able to buy and sell power in the European electricity market and the connection will strengthen the reliability and availability of energy throughout all of Europe, GE states.

"The territory serviced by ENTSO-E (European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity) is one of the highest demand regions for energy in the world,” according to a report issued in 2009 by the Ministry of Energy.

The cross-border system may also enable a new, cleaner energy mix for Europe as the demand for renewable energy is increasing, and Turkey has “massive renewable energy sources,” GE notes.

“Smart grid solutions are opening energy opportunities in new ways every day,” says Yavuz Aydin, Director of GE Energy Services, Turkey. “Our communications and control technologies are enabling international trade and power-sharing breakthroughs that seemed nearly impossible just a few years ago. When Turkey joins the European energy community, it will be a vital step forward for power systems on both sides of the connection.”

GE’s smart grid communications and wide area protection solutions will monitor grid status at the points of connection and automate the control of generation and load within Turkey. The system will optimise power sharing and power quality while improving reliability and preventing cascading outages.