Guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure

This EU regulation lays down guidelines to develop priority corridors and areas of trans-European energy infrastructure in a timely fashion.

SUMMARY

In April 2013, the EU guidelines for the development of European energy infrastructure were approved.

One of the priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy is sustainable growth to be achieved by promoting a more resource-efficient, more sustainable and more competitive economy. That strategy put energy infrastructure at the forefront of this effort by underlining the need to urgently upgrade Europe’s networks, interconnecting them at the continental level, in particular to integrate renewable energy sources.

The essential background to this is that EU Member States agreed in 2011 that:

• Europe’s energy infrastructure needs to be modernised and expanded;
• networks across borders need to be interconnected;
• there is a need to provide for alternative supply or transit routes;
• there is a need for alternative sources of energy, including renewables;
• no EU country should remain isolated from the European gas and electricity networks after 2015 or see its energy security jeopardised by lack of the appropriate connections.

The guidelines established 12 regional groups for trans-European energy infrastructure (TEN-E), which selected projects.

In October 2013, the Commission adopted a list of 248 key energy infrastructure projects (projects of common interest), which will benefit from faster and more efficient permit granting procedures and improved regulatory treatment.

The projects may also have access to financial support from the Connecting Europe Facility(CEF), under which almost EUR 6 billion has been allocated to TEN-E up to 2020.

For a project to be included in the list, it has to:

• have significant benefits for at leasttwoEU Member States ;
• contribute to market integration and further competition;
• enhance security of supply;
• reduce CO₂emissions.

A new EU list will be established every 2 years.

The guidelines state that projects of common interest should be implemented as quickly as possible and closely monitored and evaluated, while keeping the administrative burden for project promoters to a minimum.

It adds that the Commission should nominate European coordinators for projects facing particular difficulties.

ACT

Regulation (EU) No 347/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure and repealing Decision No 1364/2006/EC and amending Regulations (EC) No 713/2009, (EC) No 714/2009 and (EC) No 715/2009

last update 04.04.2014