Executive Vice-President Ribera
Today, Commissioner Jorgensen and I are presenting to you the European grids package, adopted today by College. We think that this is a package that would allow Europeans to experience much more stable energy prices, lower bills, and greater security.
These Grids, hydrogen and carbon networks, long awaited by many, are more than just steel and cables. They symbolise to what extent we need to be much more united, much more resilience.
They are the missing links to overcome geographical constraints and to allow businesses to compete on equal terms across the Single Market benefitting from the capacity to develop home-grown energy everywhere.
We said since the very beginning that Europe cannot be competitive, resilient or fair without a clean interconnected energy system.
With the list of 235 Projects of Common Interest adopted last week we are building Europes electricity, hydrogen and CO2 backbone.
We want to put an end to the energy isolation in different Member States.
Our grids channel affordable energy directly to where its needed most, reducing costs for consumers and businesses.
We say that we have entered in the new Age of Electricity and in this age, our grids pave the way for integration of more renewables and support the electrification of our economy, accelerating our shift away from fossil fuels.
By further connecting national grids, we enhance resilience across borders, allowing national systems to mutually support each other.
We are moving from fragmented national plans to a unified EU planning that defines the grid infrastructure needed to deliver on our Energy Union; introducing a cross-border cost allocation mechanism; and
facilitating channels to ensure that we can address the congestion revenues into the deployment of grids to relieve such bottlenecks already identified.
We are embedding resilience by design to ensure our infrastructure can face climate, cyber and physical threats, and accelerating permitting so that we can reduce significantly the times being dedicated to the implementation of the electricity infrastructure. For transmission grids, this will allow a reduction so we dont need to wait for around 5 years as it is the case right now.
The package brings permitting acceleration measures as it will be explained. We know that while speed is crucial, maintaining a balanced approach is key and that is what it is reflected in the package. This Grids Package is more than just a policy — its a commitment for a stronger, interconnected and sustainable Europe.
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Commissioner Jørgensen
Imagine trying to piece together a puzzle, without looking at the box with the picture.
Well, to some extent, that is what we are actually doing right now with Europes energy infrastructure.
At the moment, we take a bottom-up approach to planning: we add and align national plans and sectoral strategies, missing a truly European and cross-sector perspective.
Add to that a number of fundamental challenges.
We are not rolling out our grids fast enough.
If we dont speed up, in 2030 we will lack approximately half of the EUs new cross border capacity that is needed.
The average implementation time of a transmission grid project is more than 10 years, of which more than half is devoted to permitting. That is way too long. And we need to that to fundamentally change.
Also: We need to step up our security and resilience. Because our strategic connections have also become strategic targets.
In 2022 alone, Europes energy infrastructure was hit by 48 successful cyber-attacks.
And we saw it in Russias sabotage of Estlink 2 last year.
So at this defining moment for Europe, these are definitely costs we cannot afford. These are challenges we need to solve.
The bottom line is this: if we want a Europe that is clean, competitive, and independent, we need our energy infrastructure to be stronger, more secure, and more connected.
Today, we set out to connect Europe at a speed and a scale that has never been seen before.
First step: we identify and work to advance our 8 Energy Highways – from the Baltic Sea to Cyprus; from South Eastern Europe to the Iberian Peninsula.
These are some of the areas that present significant bottlenecks, holding back the flow of clean and cheap energy throughout our Union.
By progressing with these eight strategic links, we will open a new era of energy independence for Europe, while helping to lower energy prices.
Second: We propose a new way to map and plan our infrastructure.
According to a recent study, more than €560 billion could be saved in the period up to 2050 if Member States coordinate infrastructure planning across sectors and countries better.
Therefore, we propose that the European Commission develops a central scenario for our energy networks: identifying what we need, where we need it, and when we need it. This is how we can deliver.
Yes, this entails more power to the EU. But it is important to say that this is not a zero sum game.
By giving the EU more competences to coordinate and facilitate, we also empower Member States to do what is necessary for them.
And by working together on the basis of a single European map that integrates all sectors, we secure the most rational planning for our entire Union.
In this way, we can deliver cohesive network planning in the most logical and cost-effective way.
But planning is not enough, important as it is. We also need to speed up.
Permitting processes shouldnt last more than two years, with a maximum of three years for the most complex projects.
Today they are most often much longer. More than five years is not uncommon. Even more than a decade happens.
We will therefore accelerate and simplify procedures for all grid infrastructure, renewable energy projects, storage projects, and recharging stations.
This will be done in a way that does not compromise on environmental protection.
Today, sometimes the green transmission faces opposition from local communities, who can feel excluded from decisions that impact their daily lives and localities.
It is vital to make sure that these communities are fully on board with energy projects for the clean transition.
Public participation and benefit sharing is key for acceptance: projects must benefit local citizens as much as the project investors.
Therefore, we introduce a new obligation for Member States to ensure that a share of the benefits of renewable projects is passed on to local citizens and communities in proximity of the project.
Finally, let me underline that this is also about the security of our infrastructure.
To counter rising threats to our strategic connections, we propose that greater security considerations are fully integrated into the design, approval, and monitoring of cross-border projects.
So, all in all, today Im proud to say that we embark on a new phase of our common European project.
We are on the threshold of a clean, competitive, and independent future – achieved by ourselves, for ourselves.
It is time to step forward, complete our connection, and unleash the full potential of a true Energy Union.
Thank you.
