Elia is a Belgian
transmission system operator
File:Electricity grid simple- North America.svg, 380px, Simplified diagram of AC electricity grid from generation stations to consumers
rect 2 243 235 438 Power station
rect 276 317 412 556 Transformer
rect 412 121 781 400 Electric power transmis ...
for high-voltage electricity (30,000–380,000 volts), located in Brussels, Belgium. It operates in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. The company transmits electricity from generators to distribution system operators, which then supply SMEs and homes. Elia also has contracts with major industrial users that directly connect to its high-voltage grid.
Elia's main activities include managing
grid infrastructure (maintaining and developing high-voltage installations), managing the electrical system (monitoring flows, maintaining the balance between electricity consumption and generation 24/7, importing and exporting to and from neighbouring countries) and facilitating the market (developing services and mechanisms with a view to developing the
electricity market
In a broad sense, an electricity market is a system that facilitates the exchange of electricity-related goods and services. During more than a century of evolution of the electric power industry, the economics of the electricity markets had un ...
at national and European level). Elia Group also offers consulting and engineering services through a subsidiary Elia Grid International (EGI), founded in 2014.
History
Elia was created as a result of the unbundling of the electricity market. On 28 June 2001, Elia became an independent public company by merging the Company for the Coordination of the Generation and Transmission of Electrical Energy (CPTE) with the
Electrabel
Electrabel SA is a Belgian energy corporation. It is a subsidiary of French multinational utility company Engie S.A. (formerly GDF Suez).
History
Electrabel was established in 1905. Its actual name originates from 1990, after the regrouping of t ...
entity managing the 30-380 kV grid. On 17 September 2002, it was appointed as the federal transmission system operator in accordance with the ''Electricity Act of 29 April 1999''. On 20 June 2005, Elia was listed on the
Euronext Brussels
The Brussels Stock Exchange (french: Bourse de Bruxelles, nl, Beurs van Brussel), abbreviated to BSE, was founded in Brussels, Belgium, by decree of Napoleon in 1801. In 2002, the BSE merged with the Amsterdam, Lisbon and Paris stock exchanges ...
and since 2012 has been part of the BEL20 index. On 8 July 2005, Elia set up the
spot market
The spot market or cash market is a public financial market in which financial instruments or commodities are traded for immediate delivery. It contrasts with a futures market, in which delivery is due at a later date. In a spot market, settle ...
power exchange Belpex, which has since been integrated into Paris-based
EPEX SPOT.
[
On 12 March 2010, Elia and Industry Funds Management reached to an agreement with Vattenfall on the acquisition of the Vattenfall-owned German transmission system operator ]50Hertz Transmission GmbH
50Hertz Transmission GmbH, formerly named Vattenfall Europe Transmission, is one of four transmission system operators for electricity in Germany, and is wholly owned by Eurogrid GmbH, indirectly owned and managed by the Belgian transmission sy ...
, one of the four German transmission system operators. The transaction was approved by the European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
on 10 May 2010.
Operations
Elia Belgium's 150 to 380 kV grid infrastructure and almost 94% of its 30 to 70 kV grid infrastructure. In addition to the Belgium market, Elia operates also in Germany through its subsidiary 50Hertz Transmission GmbH.[ The company studies interconnection projects with the United Kingdom (Nemo project), Luxembourg and Germany.]APX-ENDEX
APX Group (APX) is an energy exchange operating the spot markets for electricity in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Belgium. Established in 1999, APX provides exchange trading, central clearing and settlement, and data distribution se ...
, Elia received a 20% stake in APX-ENDEX.[
][
]
Elia is a contributor to the inter-regional electricity trading joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and economic risk, risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four rea ...
the European Market Coupling Company
European Market Coupling Company, EMCC or emcc, is a provider of congestion management services for cross-border electrical interconnectors. This is done by means of ''market coupling'', in particular ''tight volume coupling''.
EMCC is a joint ...
.[
]
Ownership
Elia's shares are listed on Euronext
Euronext N.V. (short for European New Exchange Technology) is a pan-European bourse that offers various trading and post-trade services.
Traded assets include regulated equities, exchange-traded funds (ETF), warrants and certificates, bonds, ...
, 44.96% is owned by Publi-T SCRL, a cooperative company representing Belgian municipalities and intermunicipal companies, 6.95% by Katoen Natie, 4.27% by Interfin, 2.51% by Publipart, a holding company of EDF Luminus
Luminus (former names: ''Société productrice d'électricité'', SPE, SPE-Luminus, and EDF Luminus) is the second largest electricity producer and energy supplier on the Belgian energy market. Its main shareholder is Électricité de France ...
, and 1.86% by Belfius Insurance, while the rest (39,45%) is free floating.
References
External links
Official website
Elia Group Innovation website
Elia Group website
{{Authority control
Electric power transmission system operators in Belgium
Companies listed on Euronext Brussels