RTE is the largest transmission system operator in Europe with 105,942 km of lines in service. As the operator of the French power system, its mission is to offer customers access to an affordable, safe, clean electricity supply today and tomorrow. This notably requires investing steadily to build a transmission network that can support the economy and energies of the future.
Highlights of 2019 included:
- The inauguration of the new Quatre Seigneurs–Saumade underground 225 kV cable in the Hérault region;
- The replacement of the Argia–Mouguerre underground 225 kV cable with an underground cable equipped with smart sensors in Pyrénées-Atlantiques;
- The undergrounding of the Castelnau–Fréjorgues–Montpellier–Pastourel 63 kV link around Montpellier as part of a “MESIL” project (undergrounding by local initiative);
- The commissioning of the l’Argentière–Serre-Barbin underground 63 kV line in Hautes-Alpes as part of the plan to upgrade the power system in Haute-Durance.
New underground cables (newly created or overhead lines newly undergrounded) totalled 219 km, while 477 km of overhead lines were taken down (permanently or to be replaced) during the year.
The length of the network increased by 85 km year-on-year in 2019.
| Length of lines in service (km) | Overhead | Underground | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| At 31 December 2018 | 99 655 | 6 202 | 105 857 |
| New | 401 | 232 | 633 |
| Newly added |
38 | 160 | 198 |
| Replaces | 363 | 13 | 376 |
| Overhead lines burried |
0 | 59 | 59 |
| Scrapped | -477 | -7 | -484 |
| Other (placed in reserved, length adjusted, etc.) | -52 | -12 | -64 |
| At 31 December 2019 | 99 527 | 6 415 | 105 942 |
| Change 2018 to 2019 | -128 | 213 | 85 |