Activites

• 2015/05/21 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 2015/02/25 Non-legislative basic document published
  • COM(2015)0082 summary

    PURPOSE: to present a strategy for achieving the 10% electricity interconnection target Making Europe's electricity grid fit for 2020. BACKGROUND: energy infrastructure has been high on the European energy agenda. The European Council in October 2014 called for "speedy implementation of all the measures to meet the target of achieving interconnection of at least 10 % of their installed electricity production capacity for all Member States." The integration of the EU's energy markets is delivering tangible results: wholesale electricity prices have declined by one-third; consumers have more choice as energy suppliers compete to deliver lower prices and better services; and the legal framework has improved competition in the sector. Nonetheless, much remains to be done, since: the EU is dependent on imports, infrastructure is outdated and investment lacking ; the retail market is not fully functioning, high final energy prices for citizens and for businesses harming the competitiveness of our companies; there is a  need to shift to a low-carbon economy in order to fight climate change as well as challenges to our technological leadership; the EU must overcome its fragmentation of national energy markets. It is for these reasons that the Commission adopted a framework strategy for a resilient Energy Union with a forward-looking climate policy.  This Communication is one concrete step in this direction. Twelve Member States, mainly in the periphery of the EU, remain below the 10% electricity interconnection target and are thus isolated from the internal electricity market. The Commission feels that building these interconnections will require the mobilisation of all efforts at all levels, as a matter of urgency, to achieve the common objective of a fully functioning and connected internal energy market. CONTENT: this Communication presents a strategy to ensure the full integration of the internal electricity market through adequate levels of interconnection, which will serve also an integral part of the Energy Union. The benefits of an interconnected energy system: the Commission considers that the interconnection of the electricity markets must be a political priority for the European Union at all levels in the years to come. Interconnecting isolated national electric power systems and building a truly European Electrical System will: allow for more affordable prices in electricity, in the long term  due to the higher market efficiency, higher electricity supply security, reliability and quality while ensuring a high standard of environmental protection; reduce energy dependency, through the reduction in the consumption of imported fuels; facilitate new investments in Europe due to the more competitive prices of electricity and the improvement in the competition levels of European industries; lower environmental impact due to the non-built power plants and the reduction of CO2 emissions; unleash a higher potential of growth for the European renewable energy industry and ensure world leadership of the renewable industry. Full implementation of the European regulatory framework: the trans-European energy networks  Regulation (TEN-E) addresses for the first time the specific issue of projects that cross borders or that have an impact on cross-border flows.  The Commission will ensure full implementation and strict enforcement of its provisions in order to avoid delays in projects. Making full use of all available financial instruments: for electricity projects some EUR 105 billion are needed, out of which some EUR 35 billion for the interconnections which acquired a Project of Common Interest (PCI) status and are necessary to reach the 10% target across the EU. Members States may use support for Projects of Common Interest, through the available financial means, e.g. the Connecting Europe Facility, the European Structural and Investment Funds and the future European Fund for Strategic Investments to assist promoters to implement projects. Speed up interconnection: the interconnection target will be achieved mainly through the implementation of PCIs. The Commission considers that implementation of the PCIs will bring Europe much closer to the achievement of the 10% electricity interconnection target between Member States if the projects envisaged are completed in 2020. Efforts need to be stepped-up for those below the target to achieve 10% by 2020, mainly Spain and Cyprus, through a more coordinated approach and using all tools available To speed up the achievement of the interconnection target the Commission intends to: 1) intensify the work of the Regional Groups, established under the TEN-E Regulation, to closely monitor progress of each PCI and to propose corrective and targeted early action when necessary, especially in those Member States furthest away from the 10% target; 2) intensify its support for the critical projects through targeted measures. The Commission will assess project by project to look at any obstacles and risks that might delay construction and take action as necessary such as: bring together the promoters to find solutions to technical, planning, design and implementation issues and facilitate contacts with the EIB and other banks; provide access to technical assistance to better shape the project and make it bankable; work together with ACER and the national regulators to find the best incentives; ensure compliance with the TEN-E Regulation and launch appropriate procedures, in case provisions are not yet implemented, for instance on permit granting; facilitate agreement between Member States to solve political issues. 3) strengthen regional cooperation in order to set out a specific strategy for each region (e.g. Baltic Sea, Iberian Peninsula, the countries surrounding the Northern Seas.) The Commission will issue an annual report to the European Council on implementation of PCIs and progress towards the 10% electricity interconnection target If needed, the Commission will propose further measures in order to achieve this target. In addition, in late 2015 the Commission will convene the first Energy Infrastructure Forum to discuss and find solutions to issues that are common to all regions across Europe and, where relevant, with neighbouring countries.

  • DG {'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/energy/index_en.htm', 'title': 'Energy'}, ŠEFČOVIČ Maroš

Documents

• Non-legislative basic document published: COM(2015)0082

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)