Activities of Dario TAMBURRANO related to 2015/2108(INI)
Plenary speeches (3)
Making Europe's electricity grid fit for 2020 (A8-0330/2015 - Peter Eriksson) IT
Towards a European Energy Union - Making Europe's electricity grid fit for 2020 (debate) IT
Towards a European Energy Union - Making Europe's electricity grid fit for 2020 (debate) IT
Amendments (24)
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Underlines that the benefits of a substantially increased interconnectivity of the European network go way beyond the economic and geopolitical dimensions; it is a strategic principle which should lead to a more resilient and robust network, better prepared to deal with all kind of alterations and disruptions; and it allows the growing power share coming from renewable sources to blend efficiently into the European network, paving the way for a 100% renewable energy mix to be achieved in the shortest period possible; last but not least, it demonstrates the European leadership towards the development of a global electric energy sharing network.
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that a fully integrated EU electricity market would facilitate the electricity trading and balancing services, and would lower the volatility of electricity prices, producing estimated annual savings by European consumers in the range of EUR 12-40 billion by 2030, to the benefit of citizens and the competitiveness of Europe's industry and business in a global economy, as it is estimated that EUR 12-40 billion could be saved annually by 2030 by European consumers;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that, according to the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), investments in the necessary interconnection projects of pan-European significance could be as high as EUR 150 billion by 2030, and notes with interest that for each eurothrough such an investedment in the network (representing about 1.5-2 €/MWh of power consumption in Europe over a ten year period, i.e. about 2% of total bulk power prices or approximately 1% of the total electricity bill), electricity prices could be mitigated by a minimum of EUR 2/MWh; notes that independent studies show that with similar investment in the network infrastructure, Europe could cover a large share of its electric load with renewable energy sources1 ; requests from the European Commission to monitor that households, SMEs and other retail consumers reap an actual benefit, which should not stay limited to the wholesale prices; __________________ 1 ‘powE[R] 2030 – A European grid for ¾ renewable electricity by 2030’, Greenpeace, 2014.
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Encourages further public investments in a smarter, more resilient network, which are synergic with the infrastructure investments highlighted in 4.; such investments should exploit the possibilities deriving from smart distributed generation systems, from incentivising and better conceiving electrical storage, from high-voltage power connection (implementing recent- years technical breakthroughs in direct current, which could make viable trans- atlantic power connections); from an intensified and discount-incentivised adaptation for consumption to better follow the production pattern of renewables; from other innovative technology.
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recognises the 10 % target – to be achieved by 2020 – as a valuable target and a first step in the right direction; considers, however, that it does not always reflect the market situation and has not been established on the basis of scientific evidence; recalls that the 10 % target was first set in 2002 on the basis of the installed electricity generation capacity that existed at that time; acknowledges that, although theis initial 10 % target for all Member States is important, it describes neither the quantityamount of electricity flowing between countries nor the qualitycharacteristics of the flow, such as i.a. the availability of the existing interconnection infrastructure or of the existing national infrastructure between the interconnectors; believes, therefore, that a one-size-fits-all interconnection target based on installed electricity generation capacity is not on its own appropriate for all Member States;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Believes, therefore, that in the mid- term, and certainly within the 2030 horizon, the Energy Union must establish ambitious and evidence-based interconnection targets, personalised for countries or at least macro-regions; considers that such targets must be established on the basis of a variety of parameters of the related power generation systems, and networks; requests from the European Commission to launch as soon as possible the technical discussion about the reference framework within which such a definition of evidence-based, personalised targets can be adequately approached."
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that the frequently congested transmission networks might be linked to cross-border lines but might also be due to weak internal gridions in national or macro-regional transmission networks can be attributed to a plurality of technical causes, not just to the absence or insufficient capacity of cross-border interconnections; insists that a holisticcomprehensive approach should be taken when assessing the need for, and the priority of, reinforcement / extension, taking into account both cross-border and national connections, in particular the real use of the existing interconnection lines and the availability of existing national infrastructure;adopted, encompassing the whole network design, real use, and availability, and the distribution of sources and consumptions, when assessing the need for increasing national and cross-border interconnectivity; requests from the European Commission, extending the technical discussion referred to in 5a. above, to develop and propose methodologies for such assessment; stresses that only an evidence-based assessment of interconnectivity needs will provide the correct priorities for public investment in the field.
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the role of the Commission as guardian of a decentralised and accessible electricity system, in which Member States shall grant access to smaller suppliers to the grid in accordance with fair market rules and with best practices for self- consumption, with a view to reinforcing the share of generation from renewable sources;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Regrets the lack of a transparent and evidence-based decision-making process leading to the establishment of the projects of common interest (PCI) list; underlines that the PCIs, in order to deliver their expected results, must be concentrated on a few key priorities; regrets further the predominant role of ENTSO-E, transmission system operators (TSOs) and project promoters in the development of a harmonised cost-benefit analysis methodology, in preparing the ten-year network development plans and the network codes, and in evaluating the costs and benefits of each project; recalls the need to provide complete assessments including social and environmental impacts; calls on the Commission, the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) and national regulators to play a more proactive role in order to develop a more neutral, transparent and democratic consultative process, including the effective participation of Parliament and giving voting status to civil society representatives; calls on the Commission to assess the situations in which the use of best available technology (BAT) could be established as a precondition for granting EU funds to projects;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that the lengthy permit granting procedure is a major challengobstacle for new high- voltage lines in Europe; underlines the importance of tackling with adequate resources the challenge of shortening that procedure, whilst maintaining the adequate level of guarantees for the public interest, including effective public consultations;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Recognises that public awareness and support is essential to ensure fast implementation of interconnector projects; acknowledgemphasizes that democratic processes and environmental standards must not be undermined when buildbe strictly respected when authorizing, building and monitoring new power lines; calls on the project promoters to use BAT for new national and cross-border interconnectors in order to reduce conflicts between project investments in the grids and environmental impactensure that their environmental impact stays below the prescribed thresholds;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes the understaffing and lack of resources of ACER; asks the EU budgetary authority to provide the agency with the necessary resources, in particular sufficient own staff, in order to allow the agency to fulfil adequately and timely the tasks assigned to it by legislation; calls for ACER's role to be strengthened, in particular in relation to ENTSO-E;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Notes the understaffing and/or lack of independence of a number of national energy regulators; calls on the Commission to carry out an independent audit by the end of 2016 at the latest on the resources available to, and the degree of independence achieved so far by, all national energy regulators, including the identification ofregarding the whole European system of national energy regulators (NERs); underlines that such an audit should address at least the issues of (a) resources available to the NERs, (b) services actually supplied by the NERs to the market, (c) degree of independence from political and commercial pressure achieved so far by the NERs; stresses that the audit report should present best practices identified, and include specific recommendations on how to improve the situation;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that there is still a lack of transparency with regard to the calculation of cross-border capacities made available to the market and the frequency, magnitude and reasons of curtailment on interconnectors; doubts, in this context, that most of the significant curtailments are fully addressed; asks the Commission to provide ACER with the adequate competences and powers to gather periodically the necessary information on each individual cross-border transmission capacity so as to allow ACER to fulfil its monitoring responsibilities effectively; requests that such information will be supplied to ACER together with the necessary contextual information about the design and functioning of the national network;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Supports the Commission's recommendation that the CEF be concentrated on a few key projects; considers that adequate EU financing should also be made available beyond 2020 to support the implementation of non- commercialpublic electricity connection projects, both national and cross-border, based on the best scientific and technological evidence available, necessary to ensure and improve the functioning of the internal energy market; stresses the importance of the EIB in supporting private investors in commercially viable electricity infrastructure projects, developed in the frame of the Energy Union strategy; notes the establishment of the European Fund for Strategic Investments and encourages the Commission to ensure that the fund effectively attracts investments in electricity interconnection projects;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Urges the Commission, furthermore, to: 1) encourage investments in the best available technology, which, while costlierinvolving in some occasions higher initial costs, offers considerable financial advantages as well as time savings inover the long runuseful life of the infrastructure; 2) conduct a review of the financing rules with the aim of streamlining the existing mechanisms and highlighting the principle that wealthier Member States are responsible for projects involving their countries, while EU financial support should be used in countries facing greater challenges; and 3) strengthen incentives for further investments in the grid by, inter alia, introducing a requirement for profitsincome made from transmission congestion rent to be reinvested in network-reinforcing infrastructures and technologies, including additional interconnectors;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Notes that planned interconnectors are expected to allow the Baltic States to reach the 10 % goal by 2015; is concerned that the Baltic States' networks are still synchronised with and dependent on the Russian electricity system, which is an impediment for a truly integrated and properly functioning European electricity market; calls for a rapid synchronisaeffective connection of the Baltic States' electricity networks with the Continental European Network, either through synchronisation, through direct-current (DC) interconnections, or a combination thereof, in order to ensure their full integration in the EU internal electricity market and a higher security of electricity supply; highlights the common Nordic power market as a best practice for cooperation between Member States; acknowledges the importance of higher interconnectivity between Poland and the Nordic electricity market in order for Poland to reach its 10 % target;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Acknowledges that offshore wind in the North Seas region has the potential to generate over 8 % of Europe's power supply by 2030; notes further that coordination of the planning and building of a regional offshore grid infrastructure, market access and reserve sharingsharing of power generation capability in the North Seas region could lead to cost savings of EUR 5-13 billion per year by 2030 through a better integrated regional market; calls on the Commission and the Member States for strong political support and endorsement of the North Seas Offshore Grid as a key step in building an effective Energy Union; urges the upcoming Presidencies of the Council of the EU to prepare and agree on a legal framework during the 2016 Dutch Presidency in the form of an Intergovernmental Agreement between the relevant Member States that defines a shared North Seas electricity strategy;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses that South-Eastern Europe (SEE) is endowed with a vast – and largely untapped – potential in terms of renewables; notes that cooperation and coordination on long-term planning and building of a SEE regional grid infrastructure must go beyond the EU in order to includeopen the possibility of collaborative interconnection with non- EU Western Balkan countries and Turkey, under the same guarantees of energy independence applied to all third countries; calls for the establishment of a new platform where all key stakeholders in the region could discuss and provide political backing to joint projects designed to fully exploit the region's renewables- based electricity potential; recognises that the EU's Central East South Europe Gas Connectivity High Level Group, established in February 2015, could become such a platform, provided its mandate is expanded to include the electricity domain and involvement of SEE's non-EU countries; acknowledges that the platform would enable the Commission to provide leadership and political support;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 11
Subheading 11
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Stresses that developing links in and between the countries of the Central and Eastern Mediterranean, including the Adriatic Sea (Italy, France, Greece, Slovenia, Croatia, Malta, Cyprus) can stimulate extensive public and private investments in renewable sources, and particularly in photovoltaic installations, which could bring some or all of these countries to the status of net contributors to the European network.
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Underlines the possibility of developing collaborative interconnections with non-EU southern Mediterranean countries, helping to mobilize their remarkable potential for photovoltaic generation, and providing a significant stimulus to the reduction of carbon emissions, under the same guarantees of energy independence applied to all third countries;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Notes that Europe's energy system has evolved since 2002, when the 10 % electricity interconnection target was originally set – in particular, renewable energy sources have been developed across the continent; questions in this context awhether an overall 15 % target based on installed capacity for 2030; asks the Commission, therefore, to assess provides the best stimulus to the Energy Union strategy; asks the Commission, therefore, to assess on the basis of the best scientific and technical evidence available the setting of regional, complementary targets and to find better qualitative and quantitative benchmarks, such as peak flows and bottlenecks, that highlight how much national and cross-border interconnectionvity is needed;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Stresses the need to derive a future electricity interconnection target from the EU's long-term climate goals as well as from a sustainable energy system that the EU is looking for; notes in this context that the degree of interconnection required will depend in particular on whether: a) the EU is serious in applying the ‘'energy efficiency first' principle and more demand-side response measuresdevelops with decision a full range of demand-side response measures, as enabled by the best scientific and technical evidence available, b) decentralised renewables- based electricity and its correlated smart grids are further developed, c) energy storage technologies – at household or municipality levels – are developed, d) grids are optimised and use the best available technologies, e) people are given a higher role as prosumers in the energy system, and f) a clear incentive for investments in the grids is created;