Milestones:Star of Laufenburg Interconnection, 1958
STAR OF LAUFENBURG INTERCONNECTION, 1958
This is the original location of the electric-power interconnection of three countries: Switzerland, Germany and France. The Union for Production and Transmission of Electricity (now UCTE) was formed to manage this interconnection. This installation pioneered international connections, and technical and political cooperation for European integration. UCTE coordinated one of the largest synchronously connected power networks serving almost all of continental Europe.
STERN VON LAUFENBURG, 1958
An diesem Ort wurden zum ersten Mal die Stromnetze der drei Länder Schweiz, Deutschland und Frankreich zusammengeschaltet. Zur Verwaltung dieses Verbundnetzes wurde die Union für die Koordinierung der Erzeugung und des Transportes elektrischer Energie (heute: UCTE) gegründet. Diese Anlage bereitete den Weg für internationale Verbindungen und für die technische und politische Zusammenarbeit zur Integration der europäischen Stromnetze. Die UCTE koordiniert eines der grössten synchron verbundenen Stromnetze, das fast ganz Kontinentaleuropa versorgt.
The milestone plaques can be viewed at: Werkstrasse 12, CH 5080 Laufenburg, Switzerland, on the outside wall close to main gat of the substation building.
This installation had a pioneer role in establishing international connection and was one of the forerunner organization for integrated Pan European Electricity Industry. It was the first connection in continental Europe joining three countries.
The idea to start a multinational, multiple control area, covering a large geographical area and serving common interest of people of Europe 50 years ago was visionary. These were uncharted waters and was one of the first of technical and political cooperation in for European integration. The Star of Laufenburg had a pioneer role in establishing international connections and was one of the forerunner organizations for an integrated Pan-European electricity industry. The switching configuration allowed exchange of power in all three pairs of countries: Switzerland-France, France-Germany, and Germany-Switzerland. It also allowed -- over Swiss transmission lines -- the exchange of power with Austria and Italy also.
The Star of Laufenburg was a reference point for the delivery and exchange of electric power in Western Europe, and a monitoring point for multinational power exchange. It grew to monitor cross-border flows for UCTE southern countries in real time.
Austria
Belgium
France
Former Yugoslavian countries in the Balkans
Germany
Greece
Italy
Switzerland
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