Brussels, 28/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - It is now the turn of the Energy Community to reveal its list of energy infrastructure projects of common interest.
Two weeks after the publication of the priority projects of the EU (see EUROPE 10942), the ministerial council of the Energy Community (Albania, FYROM, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Moldova, Serbia, Ukraine and EU, plus Georgia as candidate and Norway and Turkey as observers) adopted, on 24 October, a list of 35 cutback energy infrastructure projects of community interest.
The list includes 14 electricity generation projects (a hydroelectric power station and a windfarm in Albania, a co-generation unit and a hydroelectric power station in Bosnia, which also shares two hydroelectric power stations with Croatia and Serbia respectively, a power station in Kosovo, a hydroelectric power station in Montenegro, and six projects in Serbia, including two hydroelectric power stations, two co-generation power stations and two thermal power stations) and nine projects for high-voltage overhead lines (one linking Albania with FYROM, one between Bosnia and Croatia, one linking Albania and Italy, one linking Albania with Kosovo, one connecting Moldova and Romania, one reinforcement line in Montenegro linking it with Serbia and Bosnia, two lines in Serbia and one line connecting Serbia with Romania).
The list also includes ten gas infrastructure projects (the Ionian Adriatic Pipeline - IAP, connecting Albania, Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia, the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline - TAP, linking Albania, Greece and Italy, the LNG Eagle terminal in Albania, three interconnections between Bosnia and Croatia, an LNG terminal in Croatia, an interconnection between Croatia and Serbia, an interconnection between Serbia and Bulgaria and the modernisation of the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod gas pipeline in Ukraine).
Lastly, two oil infrastructure projects have been selected to support the development of the cross-border energy markets in eastern and southern Europe, one in Croatia (modernisation and reconstruction of the JANAF pipeline), the other in Ukraine (construction of the Brody-Adamow pipeline).
These projects will benefit from accelerated authorisation procedures, improved regulatory conditions and investment incentives. “The Project of Energy Community Interest label will help to attract much-needed investment into the region. Almost €40 billion is required until 2020”, said European Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger. “However, the lack of progress on achieving effective market opening and the regional integration of energy markets is worrying. The implementation of the Third Energy Package must become a key priority”, he added.
The ministerial council also decided to extend the duration of the treaty instituting the Energy Community for a period of 10 years, and created a high-level reflection group, which will be chaired by the former Polish prime minister and former president of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, to assess the shortcomings of the current treaty and propose improvements between now and autumn 2014.
Lastly, as part of its first dispute settlement, the council has concluded that the current legislation of Bosnia-Herzegovina on the gas sector does not apply the Community acquis in the gas sector. Sarajevo has been asked to remedy this situation by June 2014. (EH/transl.fl)