EC proposes EU priorities on energy infrastructures development

The European Commission has presented on 17 November its energy infrastructure priorities for the next two decades. In the Communication, the Commission defines EU priority corridors for the transport of electricity, gas and oil, and outlines  a new method of strategic planning to coordinate and optimise energy network development on a continental scale.

The Communication "Energy infrastructure priorities for 2020 and beyond - A Blueprint for an integrated European energy network" put forward by the European Commission defines a limited number of EU priority energy corridors for which urgent development is needed to deliver on European Union policy goals of competitiveness, sustainability and security of supply.

In the Communication, the Commission acknowledges that Europe's energy infrastructure is the central nervous system of EU economy, and that EU energy policy goals, as well as the Europe 2020 economic aims, will not be achievable without a major shift in the way European infrastructure is developed. These corridors which connect almost isolated Member states from other European energy markets, are a way to strengthen existing cross-border interconnections and integrate renewable energy into the network.

Based on these pre-defined corridors, concrete projects of "European interest" will be identified in 2012, which should benefit from EU financing and building permits, including a time limit for final decision while ensuring full respect of EU law, in particular environmental legislation and public participation.

EU priority energy corridors

Electricity sector:

  • An offshore grid in the Northern Seas and connection to Northern and Central Europe to transport power produced by offshore wind parks to consumers in big cities and to store power in the hydro electric power plants in the Alps and the Nordic countries.
  • Interconnections in South Western Europe to transport power generated from wind, solar, hydro to the rest of the continent.
  • Connections in Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe, strengthening the regional network.
  • Integration of the Baltic Energy Market into the European market.

Gas sector:

  • Southern Corridor to deliver gas directly from the Caspian sea to Europe to diversify gas sources.
  • Baltic Energy Market Integration and connection to Central and South East Europe
  • North-South corridor in Western Europe to remove internal bottlenecks and enable best use of possible external supplies.

This Communication outlines a Blueprint which aims to provide the EU with a vision of what is needed for making networks efficient. It puts forward a new method of strategic planning to map out necessary infrastructures, qualify which ones are of European interest on the basis of a clear and transparent methodology, and provide a toolbox to ensure their timely implementation, including ways to speed up authorisations, improve cost allocation and target finance to leverage private investment.