Abstract:

The operation and economics of the power systems are constrained by the availability and temperature of water resources since thermal power plants need water for cooling and hydropower plants need water to generate electricity. In Europe and North America, water shortages or high river water temperatures have recurrently occurred in the last years, leading to financial losses, power curtailments, temporary shutdowns, demand restrictions, and ultimately increased wear and tear of the power plants. On the other hand, the operation of the power system may affect the quantity and quality of the water resources. This study describes the implementation and testing of a modelling framework to analyse the interactions between water resources and the power system in the Western Balkans and the neighbouring EU Member States (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo , Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia). The methodological approach consists of combining the hydrological LISFLOOD model with the Dispa-SET Medium-Term Hydrothermal Coordination (MTHC) and Unit Commitment and Dispatch (UCD) models for simulation of the regional power system. Three scenarios are used to investigate the changes in the operation of the regional power system under different hydrological conditions (dry, average and wet years). The outcomes include economic and operational results at unit, country and regional level, plus an analysis of the thermal power plants at water-scarce locations based on their calculated water stress indices.