Hosting capacity and smart grids - Opportunities and limitations with methods to meet increasing electricity demand for mines and steelworks

To ensure the future energy supply to mines and steelworks, sufficient available transmission capacity in the electricity grid is needed. This project is about assessing how much margin there is for new or expanded facilities and the concept of “hosting capacity” is used to quantify this margin. Methods will be developed to assess the current hosting capacity; studies will be conducted to assess how alternative methods (“smart grids”) can increase the hosting capacity without the need for new lines or substations; and different ways will be developed to map and specify the limitations that exist with these alternative methods.

The project is aimed at the mining and steel industry and is part of a project cluster (TransNorr42) where the same issues are addressed for new production and new consumption regarding the transmission network. Disseminating knowledge to the mining and steel industry, to other stakeholders and to the general public is an important part of the project.

Funding: Foundation Björn Wahlström’s Fond

Project participants: Math Bollen, Rafael de Souza Salles, Peter Haigh, Rashmika Kudahetti