HOPS transfers 110 kV cross-border line assets to EMS
Croatian TSO HOPS transfers the Serbian section of a 110 kV line to EMS, streamlining maintenance and cross-border grid operations across the Balkans.
Cross-border power lines in Europe often carry legacy administrative complexities dating back to historical grid realignments. The recent transfer of line assets on the 110 kV connection between Croatia and Serbia resolves a long-standing structural anomaly where Croatian transmission system operator HOPS owned infrastructure physically located within Serbian territory.
Under the agreed terms, Serbian grid operator EMS acquired the physical assets located on its side of the border for 125000 euros. This realignment establishes clear operational boundaries along national geographic lines, assigning full responsibility for maintenance, asset replacement, and emergency interventions on each side of the border to the respective domestic operator.
Resolving operational and legal friction
When cross-border circuits are owned by an entity outside the territorial jurisdiction where the towers and conductors reside, maintenance activities become inherently complex. Field crews entering foreign territory face regulatory, legal, and operational friction regarding access rights, safety protocols, and emergency repair dispatch. Switching operations and isolation procedures require multi-layered approvals across international operational centres, which can prolong planned maintenance outages or delay urgent repairs following weather disruptions or component faults.
By transferring the domestic portion of the 110 kV line to EMS, both operators eliminate jurisdictional ambiguity. Each utility can now incorporate its respective section into standard capital investment plans, routine line inspections, and bay refurbishment schedules at terminating substations. Clear asset ownership also streamlines protection setting coordination, insulation monitoring, and conductor maintenance without requiring complex cross-border financial reconciliation.
What this means for asset owners in the Balkans and the Black Sea region: The unification of territorial asset ownership in Serbia and Croatia reduces administrative delays during planned outages and bay maintenance at border substations. For high-voltage engineers operating interconnector bays in Croatia and Serbia, clearer asset boundaries lower the risk of extended forced outages caused by complex cross-border maintenance clearances, allowing faster restoration following overhead line or bay component failures.
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