On Wednesday, 25 November, the European Commission launched a call for applications in order to select energy infrastructure projects to include in the fifth European Union ‘Projects of Common Interest’ (PCI) list, which is due by the end of 2021.
Open until this coming 7 January, the call for applications only concerns projects in the field of electricity and gas. The European Commission then explained that priority corridors for smart grids, the cross-border carbon dioxide network, and oil will be eligible in future calls for applications.
To obtain PCI status and thus become eligible for European funding, a project must notably have an impact in at least two Member States. Candidate projects will consequently be evaluated by the European Commission “to identify if they address a European need that can be best solved through infrastructure”.
The projects approved by this first evaluation will then be examined according to the criteria defined in the regulation (347/2013) on Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E).
These criteria differ based on the type of project under consideration. Thus, a gas project must, for example, significantly contribute to achieving at least one of the following four criteria: (1) market integration (reducing bottlenecks, lifting the isolation of at least one Member State, etc.); (2) security of supply; (3) competition (diversification of supply sources, etc.); or (4) sustainability (reducing emissions, improving the development of renewable gas, etc.).
Finally, projects that meet all requirements and make the greatest contributions will be put forward for inclusion in the fifth PCI list.
Furthermore, candidate projects in the field of electricity and gas must be included in the Ten-Year Network Development Plans (TYNDP) developed by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for electricity (ENTSOE) or for gas (ENTSOG).
While a proposal to revise the TEN-E Regulation should be presented on 15 December, the fifth PCI list will be formed on the basis of the current regulation, since the revised rules will not be in force in time. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)