Brussels, 10/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament's energy committee backs the target, set by the European Council of October 2014, of a 10% interconnection level between the member states of the EU by 2020 but calls for evidence-based complementary regional targets for 2030, based on sound scientific evidence. That is the substance of the report drafted by Peter Eriksson (Greens/EFA, Sweden) and adopted by the energy committee by 56 votes to 3, with 5 abstentions, on Tuesday 10 November.
Highlighting the savings that could be made by consumers if the electricity market were fully integrated - €12-€40 billion per year by 2030 - the committee believes the 10% interconnection target by 2020 to be crucial. Nevertheless, it believes that this target does not always reflect the market situation and has not been established on the basis of scientific evidence.
Not only was the 10% target set for the first time in 2002 as a function of the electricity generation capacity of that time it describes neither the quantity of electricity flowing between countries nor the quality, such as the availability of the existing interconnection infrastructure or of the existing national infrastructure between the interconnectors. The single interconnection target based on electricity generating capacity is not on its own appropriate for all EU countries, MEPs say.
In light of developments in the energy system since 2002 and the rise in energy from renewable sources, the committee questions the 15% interconnection target for 2030. It calls on the Commission to consider setting complementary regional targets and establishing the best qualitative and quantitative reference criteria, such as peak flow rate and bottlenecks so as to be able to determine the level of interconnection needed. It also underlines the need to establish an electricity interconnection target based on the EU's long-term climate targets.
The Eriksson report is scheduled to be put to the vote in plenary session in mid-December. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)