The strategy being implemented by the European Commission in the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan), revised in 2015 to align with the priorities set out in the Energy Union, aims to ensure a secure, sustainable and affordable energy supply for every citizen. The actions put in place have resulted in profound changes in the electricity system that are making it increasingly complex to manage safely. Non-programmable renewable generation is gradually growing at the expense of generation from thermoelectric units, making the provision of system services difficult and costly, thus increasing the risk of contingencies. Adding to these critical issues is the risk of wide area propagation of disruptions due to the exploitation of interconnections between national grids, which were created to ensure mutual aid but are now increasingly used for massive commercial power transactions. Last but not least, it is evident how vulnerable the electricity system is to extreme weather and environmental events that cause social impacts and huge economic damage every year.

In response to the critical issues described above, the project continues to implement the studies, methods and tools initiated in 2015, which can provide valuable support to industry players in managing, almost online, the dynamic safety of the interconnected transmission system in the presence of variable generation and loads, but also in assessing the resilience of the system in the face of extreme weather events.

For wet-snow events, maps of maximum ice and wind loads on the lines were made available on WOLF’s new GIS website, and testing of anti-icing currents at the WILD station continued. In addition, the MERIDA meteorological reanalysis dataset was developed, which will allow the evaluation of all meteorological variables that characterize extreme events.

To assess how flexible the combined cycles can be made, several maneuvers were simulated by estimating the relative materials’ lifetime consumption based on the damage law characterized with TMF experimental tests in the previous year.

In order to classify concrete dams from a seismic risk point of view, the IRIS tool has been developed, based on simplified methods to assess the frequency of extreme events, structural safety and possible losses due to uncontrolled water release. Several structural and hydraulic studies have also been carried out to assess the safety of hydroelectric and energy infrastructures: simulations of the seismic behavior of large dams and comparison with recorded signals; definition of experimental methods to assess the evolution over time of the AAR phenomenon in dam concrete; development in FLOODRISK of a cost-benefit analysis to evaluate flood risk mitigation measures; and application of SPHERA v.8.0 (RSE SpA) to a case of urban flooding with damage to substations.