Elia is a Belgian transmission system operator for high-voltage electricity (30,000–380,000 volts), located in Brussels, Belgium. It operates in Belgium and Germany. The company transmits electricity from generators to distribution system operators, which then supply SMEs and homes. Elia also has contracts with major industrial users that directly connect to its high-voltage grid.
Elia's main activities include managing grid infrastructure (maintaining and developing high-voltage installations), managing the electrical system (monitoring flows, maintaining the balance between electricity consumption and generation 24/7, importing and exporting to and from neighbouring countries) and facilitating the market (developing services and mechanisms with a view to developing the electricity market at national and European level). Elia Group also offers consulting and engineering services through a subsidiary Elia Grid International (EGI), founded in 2014.
History
Elia was created as a result of the unbundling of the electricity market. On 28 June 2001, Elia became an independent public company by merging the Company for the Coordination of the Generation and Transmission of Electrical Energy (CPTE) with the Electrabel entity managing the 30-380 kV grid. On 17 September 2002, it was appointed as the federal transmission system operator in accordance with the Electricity Act of 29 April 1999. On 20 June 2005, Elia was listed on the Euronext Brussels and since 2012 has been part of the BEL20 index. On 8 July 2005, Elia set up the spot market power exchange Belpex, which has since been integrated into Paris-based EPEX SPOT.