In a new draft text published on Friday 6 March, the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU is reviewing the powers granted to the European Commission concerning the controversial central scenario proposal for network planning.
In this second draft of the TEN regulation on trans-European energy networks (see EUROPE 13804/8), which will be analysed on 12 March by the EU Council’s energy experts ahead of the sectoral Council meeting on 16 March, the Presidency explains that “implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission”.
Thus, instead of favouring the publication of a delegated act, the document makes it clear that the European Commission should adopt the central scenario by means of an implementing act, which requires scrutiny by the Member States (committee of national experts) as part of the design process.
In particular, the document states that the Commission should invite Member States to verify the data collected as part of this central scenario-building process, and, if necessary, to convene a meeting of the TEN-E group to discuss it.
The “top-down” approach proposed by the European Commission on 10 December has raised eyebrows among several energy ministers. In a letter sent to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on 4 March, Sweden reiterated its concerns about the introduction of this central scenario at EU level.
“A centralised, low-resolution planning approach cannot adequately reflect national industrial structures, security considerations, or regional grid constraints”, wrote Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Swedish Energy Minister Ebba Busch.
The article on congestion income has also been amended to specify that the 25% of congestion rents that transmission system operators (TSOs) must allocate to projects on the Union’s list of cross-border energy projects are income “which have not been spent”.
The European energy ministers will hold a special debate on these controversial issues on 16 March, in the hope of reaching a consensus at the end of June, before the end of the Cyprus Presidency (see EUROPE 13818/8).
Read the draft text: https://aeur.eu/f/l33 (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)