A report by the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) published on Friday 21 July reveals that the interconnection capacity available for cross-zonal electricity exchanges remains low throughout the EU, and that the minimum target of 70% interconnection capacity is still far from being achieved in most Member States.
ACER believes it is essential to achieve the agreed minimum target of 70% interconnection capacity for electricity trading with neighbouring countries by the end of 2025 in order to meet the political targets set for renewable energy production.
The Agency also points out that achieving this objective would “ensure security of supply, mitigate price volatility and provide key flexibility to the market”.
However, the 70% target will be increasingly difficult and costly to achieve, according to ACER. “Progress towards the [...] target is unlikely to happen without tough trade-offs”.
According to the analysis, a number of “old” barriers persist, such as loop flows, i.e. internal exchanges in country A that create an electrical flow through country B, thus creating congestion, as well as insufficient and costly remedial measures.
ACER has opened a public consultation from 21 July to 15 September 2023 to gather the views of stakeholders on the conclusions of its report. The Agency will then issue a formal opinion on the capacity available for electricity trading between zones to the European Commission and the European Parliament by the end of the year.
To view the ACER report: https://aeur.eu/f/87d (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)