On Monday 2 June, the European Commission published a guidance document on anticipatory investments to modernise and develop electricity networks. This publication took place at the same time as the 11th Energy Infrastructure Forum in Copenhagen, on 2 and 3 June.
Aimed at EU countries, regulators and network operators, the guidance document follows on from the 2023 EU Action Plan for Grids (see EUROPE 13302/8).
Anticipatory investments go beyond current demand by focusing on future capacity requirements, and should contribute to achieving the EU’s energy and climate goals, says the Commission in a press release.
The document advocates clear allocation of risk related to future use of assets, which “should be set up well in advance”, and a two-step approval process (design and permitting, followed by construction) to accelerate grid projects while minimising risks and costs.
“Once assets are approved, their remuneration should not be retroactively questioned, for instance, if the initial utilisation rate of the given asset [is] lower than foreseen”, says the Commission.
Nor does it rule out recourse to State guarantees or the public budget to cover the additional costs resulting from measures to accelerate decarbonisation and market integration, including for anticipatory investments, “in compliance with the regulatory framework and state aid rules”.
In addition, it is considering the possibility of using congestion revenues to finance anticipatory investments in order to reduce the overall burden on the pricing system.
The Commission will present a European Grids Package by the end of 2025, for which a public consultation is open until 5 August 2025 (see EUROPE 13640/17).
At the Forum in Copenhagen, the Danish Minister for Climate and Energy, Lars Aagaard, said he was proud to open negotiations on this package during the Danish Presidency of the EU Council, which begins on 1 July.
“We will do our best to set the package on a strong path. A key priority in this proposal is speeding up permitting because right now there are simply too many barriers and too many risks holding projects back”, he said.
To see the guidance document: https://aeur.eu/f/h54 (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)