On Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 April, Europe’s energy ministers will meet at the Palais d’Egmont in Brussels for their informal meeting under the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, which is placing a particular emphasis on the development of electricity grids.
Monday will begin with a discussion session on the integration and coordination of the European grid, followed by a working lunch on the resilience of energy infrastructure, and finally a second session devoted to financing and limiting the risks associated with investments.
Working on grids has been one of the Belgian Presidency’s declared priorities in the field of energy since the start of its term of office. It therefore intends to continue these discussions in line with the Network Action Plan adopted in November 2023 (see EUROPE 13302/8), identifying actions and recommendations to achieve the energy objectives set for 2030.
The Belgian Energy Minister, Tinne Van der Straeten, had also previously announced her willingness to continue the discussion on flexibility at the Energy Council on 4 March (see EUROPE 13364/12).
In addition to extending and modernising the grid infrastructure, the ministers will therefore address the issue of the flexibility of the energy market, which needs to be increased in order to integrate large volumes of additional intermittent production capacity.
Grid infrastructure roadmap
The Belgian Presidency will also suggest drawing up a roadmap for grid infrastructure, coordinated between the Member States, bearing in mind anticipated investments and geopolitical uncertainties, while ensuring cross-border coordination at a regional level.
The ministers will also discuss the militarisation of the energy sector, the importance of a decentralised and independent energy system, guaranteeing European sovereignty, and the role that NATO and other defence mechanisms can play in protecting the energy system in the future.
Financing
On the subject of financing, the ministers will discuss anticipated investments in grids, as well as innovative financing and risk reduction tools at European and regional levels.
The Belgian Presidency is expected to present an offshore investment mechanism to support renewable and hybrid projects, with support proportional to each sea basin, similar to the approach adopted in the European Hydrogen Bank (see EUROPE 13354/11).
It also pointed out that the total investment costs needed to cover cross-border electricity infrastructure requirements are estimated at €17.5 billion by 2030 and €52.5 billion by 2040, according to a study by the consultancy firm Sia Partners.
European Solar Energy Charter
On the sidelines of the meeting, the European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, will also present a charter for the European solar industry, along the lines of the European Wind Energy Charter (see EUROPE 13318/10), which will be signed by the Member States and players in the sector. Its aim is to formulate concrete actions to support the competitiveness of the photovoltaic solar panel industry.
Accelerating projects
Tuesday will be devoted to discussions on standardisation and the granting of permits for energy infrastructure, in the presence of the Commission’s Executive Vice-President, Maros Šefčovič.
The Belgian Presidency considers it imperative to focus on the implementation of projects by speeding up the granting of permits and improving the scale and speed of supply chains through standardisation, compatibility and operability. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)