Third Workshop on Power Grid Interconnection in Northeast Asia
September 30 to October 3, 2003, Vladivostok, Russian Federation

Co-hosted by:
The Far Eastern Branch of WWF Russia (Vladivostok, Russian Federation)
the Economic Research Institute of the Far Eastern Branch,
Russian Academy of Sciences (Khabarovsk, Russian Federation)
Agenda Papers & Presentations Participants Partners Photos Previous Workshop Nautilus

 

Emphasis and Goals of the Third Workshop on Power Grid Interconnection in Northeast Asia

In addition to the technical and economic implications and considerations of the interconnection of electrical grids in Northeast Asia that have been discussed in previous Grid workshops, grid interconnections will have environmental impacts as well. These environmental impacts-including both costs and benefits-of grid interconnection range from emissions (and avoided emissions) of air and water pollutants from power generation, to the land use impacts in both transmission line and power plant construction, to the environmental impacts associated with the location of new, large transmission lines in sensitive ecological areas. Vladivostok provides an excellent venue for the discussion and direct observation of the potential environmental impacts and benefits of grid integration in Northeast Asia. During the Third Workshop on Power Grid Interconnection in Northeast Asia, participants and co-hosts will work together to gain a better understanding of range of environmental ramifications of potential grid interconnections.

While it is intended that the main theme of this Workshop be the environmental implications of electric power grid interconnections, other aspects (technical and economic for example) of potential grid interconnections between the countries of Northeast Asia will also be discussed, building on the work of the first and second Grid workshops. As in previous workshops, participants from several Northeast Asian nations (the DPRK, the ROK, Russia, China, and Japan) have been invited to attend, thus the Workshop is expected to provide an excellent opportunity for the informal exchange of views on topics related to grid interconnection.

In brief, the overall goals for this Third workshop are:

  1. Offer opportunities for researchers from different countries to candidly discuss issues related to grid interconnections, both within and outside of the workshop structure.
  2. Identify and explore the potential environmental benefits of and barriers to power line interconnections in the region, and summarize those barriers and benefits for future reference and use.
  3. Build on the work of previous workshops and other initiatives to further identify and elaborate the "Next Steps" in the analyses of Northeast Asia power grid interconnections, and begin the process of organizing and identifying the resources, agencies and institutions needed to move forward with those analyses.

In order to work toward these goals, the main elements of the workshop agenda includes:

  • A session on "National/International Updates on Grid Development and Grid Interconnection Investigations", in which participants from the different countries will bring workshop attendees up to date on grid-related developments in their countries (and in international organizations).
  • A presentation of a generic outline of environmental issues associated with grid integration, followed by presentations from each country summarizing initial research on the "Possible Environmental Impacts and Benefits of Regional Power Grid Interconnections". This session will be followed by an open discussion of the topic.
  • A session on special topics related to the environmental aspects of grid interconnection.
  • A session on "Codes, Laws, and Practices Related to the Environmental Performance of Power Lines in the Countries of Northeast Asia".
  • A session on "Regional Perspectives on NE Asia Grid Interconnections", including presentations from regional organizations and others.
  • A session of presentations and discussions focusing on "The Environment, Ecology, and Wildlife of the Russian Far East and of the RFE/DPRK/China Border Region".
  • A concluding open discussion session in which further steps in the collaborative evaluation of the technical, economic, and environmental impacts of grid integration will be addressed.

Following these presentations and discussions, workshop participants will be guided on a study tour of the Russian Federation/DPRK/China border region through which a power grid interconnection might pass, providing an opportunity to learn about the ecology and environmental sensitivity of this unique and important region.

   
           
 

Agenda Papers & Presentations Participants Partners Photos Previous Workshop Nautilus