Brussels, 11/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - Meeting within the ENTSO-E network, the electricity Transmission System Operators (TSO) in Europe called on the national and European public authorities, on Thursday 10 February, to remove the obstacles to the modernisation, reinforcement and extension of the EU's infrastructures between now and 2020, particularly to allow the integration of production from renewable sources, especially wind power, which will represent 36% of total electricity production in the EU by 2020. ENTSO-E criticised excessive authorisation procedures for building, with uncertain outcomes in some cases, and the instability of the regulatory framework and lack of public understanding of the risks and benefits of the sector. “The TSOs are prepared to build the infrastructure needed to achieve European energy policy objectives. But in order to do this, we need the support of all parties, the governments, the regional and local authorities, and the NGOs, to explain the link between electricity infrastructure and decarbonisation of the economy. Without the support of the public, licenses to build infrastructure will come too late”, the CEO of the Belgian TSO, Elia, and President of ENTSO-E, Daniel Dobbeni, warned on Thursday, at a conference which was also attended by Commissioners Günther Oettinger (energy) and Connie Hedegaard (climate), and Hungarian Minister for National Development Tamas Fellegi.
On Thursday, ENTSO-E presented two studies, one on the integration of the offshore wind energy networks in the North Sea, the other on forecasts for the period 2011-2025, taking account of the national action plans for renewable energy, in the wake of the European Council of 4 February, which gave its agreement to modernise the energy infrastructure of the EU between now and 2020. It is worth noting that an investment of €1000 billion, 200 of which for the transport networks alone, will be needed by 2020. (E.H./transl.fl)