On 10 August, the European Commission pledged to financially support two energy projects under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), namely the building of a gas pipeline, Balticonnector, and a new electricity line in Bulgaria.
The first project, Balticonnector, aims to link up Estonia and Finland. The Commission will mobilise €187.5 million under the CEF, more than three-quarters of the necessary funding. The gas pipeline should come on stream in December 2019. It will run for 22 kilometres on land and 80 km below the sea in Finland and 50 km on land in Estonia. The idea of the project is to put an end to Finland’s gas isolation and create a regional gas market in the Baltic. More broadly, it will help densify the energy grid and secure supply for the region.
Bulgaria. The second project will build a new 140-km electricity line between Dobrudja and Burgas in Bulgaria. The Commission will mobilise €29.9 million, in other words 50% of the necessary funding. The new line should become operational by 2022, and should allow renewable energy to be integrated into the electricity market and boost the Bulgarian electricity grid's capacity and resistance. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)