On Thursday 11 July, the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) and the Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER) called on the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament to prioritise five key electricity and infrastructure challenges in their upcoming mandate.
In a document on the challenges for the future European electricity system, the regulators stress the need to support the deployment of intermittent renewable energy sources and to build a “resilient, flexible and profitable” electricity sector.
They call for: (1) the adoption of an integrated pan-European approach to electricity security, with an emphasis on flexibility; (2) the enhancement of distribution networks and empowerment of consumers; (3) the acceleration of the development of transmission infrastructure by improving assessment at pan-European level; (4) the application of the “efficiency first” principle to existing networks and generation; (5) recognition that independent regulators can help strengthen Member States’ trust in the EU electricity market.
ACER and CEER also recommend providing tools to enable Member States to help each other maintain security of supply and reduce the need for flexibility at local level.
According to the regulators, the EU institutions should also focus on improving the forward electricity market, to support efficient investment, ensure that transmission system operators (TSOs) play a neutral role and offer a variety of pricing systems to consumers, as well as making cross-border capacity fully available for trade.
To see the priorities: https://aeur.eu/f/d0w (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)