Sectoral Agreement
It’s well known that issues connecting EV charging stations to the grid – how long it can take, the complexity of the process and its uncertainty – are of the main bottlenecks to the more rapid and widespread rollout of charging infrastructure. These challenges are only growing, as DSOs face increasing demands from more, higher power charging infrastructure and other DERs.
Poland has now taken a decisive step to remedy this situation, with the signing of the „Agreement on the development of publicly available electric vehicle charging stations in Poland” on September 23, at the Polish New Mobility Association’s New Mobility Congress in Katowice.
This agreement brings together the Polish Energy Regulatory Office (URE), Polish Association of Transmission and Distribution of Electricity (PTPiREE), Polish Association of New Mobility (PSNM), General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA), and Association of Distribution System Operators (DSOs) into a new, collaborative framework for cooperation, information sharing, and addressing bottlenecks, to facilitate the deployment of EV charging infrastructure to the distribution grid. Krzysztof Bolesta from Ministry of Climate and Environment was present at the summary meetings of the Effective Transformation Charter organized by the Energy Regulatory Office, within which this agreement was created.
Working within the confines of existing laws and legislation, the agreement aims to improve communication between DSOs, charging operators, and road authorities, streamline the grid connection process, and facilitate installation of grid infrastructure (cables, connections) within and alongside road lanes managed by GDDKiA (including highways and expressways).
More specifically, the agreement's clauses covers steps during different phases of the planning and project timeline:
Planning stage:
Publication of DSO Development Plans – will be on publicly available websites, so that CPOs and other potential applicants can read them and use this info in their own planning and investment decisions.
Stakeholders will share their investment intentions early – to provide maximum time for others to take these into account when making their own investment decisions.
Providing information on available grid capacity to applicants - Currently, in Poland, when an applicant applies to the DSO for a connection, the answer they receive is simply yes/no to the precise request. Under this agreement DSOs will not simply respond yes/no, but with what is possible at that location. This provides CPOs with significantly more useful information to adjust their plans, to work with what is available, or choose a different location.
Electronic platforms for submitting applications and visualizing locations on maps – such tools are inconsistently used across Polish DSOs today and in some cases are only available for residential customers. Under this agreement, DSOs commit to making these tools available for CPOs as well, greatly facilitating the submission and tracking of connection requests, which are still often submitted in person via large, printed files.
· Design stage:
CPOs can prepare project documentation, and DSOs can purchase it - this area of the process can be one of the most time consuming, as project design & documentation are done according to public tendering procedures. Under this new approach – which is allowed under existing law although not often used – the applicant can prepare the project documentation and the DSO can purchase it from them after, saving considerable time.
Agreed technical documentation standards – Clarifying and standardizing documentation needed for projects of similar type, across DSOs.
Agreed electronic communication channels – Stakeholders agree to discuss together to establish which communications tools to use to coordinate and troubleshoot.
· Construction stage:
Identifying contact persons in contracts – Currently, DSOs do not share the names and contact information of individuals who are responsible for a specific project / client. There are good reasons for this, but it means CPOs do not have a single point of contact they can call to troubleshoot with, which would greatly facilitate projects. Under the agreement, DSOs agree to identify a contact person in their contracts with CPOs.
Clear communication on project milestones (designer selection, completion of design and construction) - Currently, applicants may only hear back from the DSO when construction begins. Under this agreement, the DSO will provide more updates to the applicant, to inform them of interim milestones and updates. This will show applicants tangible progress being made on their application, build trust, and help both sides prepare for the next steps.
Streamlined acceptance procedures and installation of metering systems
Immediate reporting of obstacles and expected removal timelines. To facilitate timely information sharing, troubleshooting, and expectation setting.
AFIR requires deployment of high power charging hubs along the TEN-T roadways, and many of them are under the authority of the GDDKiA. While permitting installing, and troubleshooting electrical equipment – especially high voltage power lines and transformer stations – is not something highway authorities have historically been involved in, in this new world of electrified transport, and to meet the AFIR targets, they will need to be. Corridors alongside major roadways are ideal locations to run HV power lines as well.
Under the agreement the GDDKiA will facilitate the location of power infrastructure along their roadways, work to approve underground cabling along their lanes (as permitted by law) and support in discussions where warranty coverage for road infrastructure may be impacted by new construction, ie, installation of EV charging and related infrastructure.
One on level, this agreement gives clear direction and political mandate to the people working in these industries. On another, the specific clauses of this agreement and areas for improvement will greatly facilitate approval and completion of EV charging projects. It will be very interesting to revisit the situation in 1 year to assess the progress made since the agreement was signed.
