At an event devoted to electricity networks organised by MEP Dario Tamburrano (The Left, Italian) on Tuesday 18 November, Lukasz Kolinski, Director for the Integration of Energy Systems at the European Commission’s DG ENER, outlined the various “pillars” that will be contained in the ‘networks’ package expected on 10 December (see EUROPE 13715/8).
In particular, he emphasised that a major component of this package will be devoted to cost-benefit sharing between countries for new network development projects.
“These are projects where the costs are concentrated in a single country, but where the benefits accrue to many countries. We have certain tools, but they are not optimal. We want to improve them and put in place a more effective cost-benefit sharing mechanism”, he explained.
Rafael Muruais Garcia, head of energy system requirements at the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), regretted that, to date, no EU project of common interest (PCI) has managed to spread the costs beyond the countries hosting the project.
“Cost-sharing mechanisms are complex and, generally speaking, politically sensitive”, he stressed.
ACER’s initial view is that the TYNDP (ten-year network development plan) and the “PCI process” offer opportunities to put in place, “by default”, a systemic cost reduction process that would facilitate agreements between countries.
Secondly, the Agency considers that it is necessary, in the longer term, to “adjust” mechanisms such as the CBCA (cross-border cost allocation law), but also congestion charges.
Network connections. The main pillars expected in the future package will be better planning, improving the efficiency of current networks and speeding up the granting of permits.
A specific recommendation will be devoted to network connections, which are considered to be too slow. In particular, Mr Kolinski acknowledged that there was a problem with the ‘first come, first served’ principle. “This principle does not exist in European legislation [...] Yet it is used by transmission system operators (TSOs) throughout the EU”, he lamented.
Several guests who were shadow rapporteurs on Parliament’s own-initiative report on networks, such as Mr Tamburrano and Anna Stürgkh (Renew Europe, Austrian) (see EUROPE 13639/16), also stressed the need for greater cohesion between Member States on the implementation of the existing EU regulatory framework and to ensure greater transparency. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)