Six Eastern Europe projects named as of ‘energy community interest’
Energy Community Director Artur Lorkowski (l.) in conversation with EU Commissioner for Energy Dan Jørgensen (r.).
Six energy infrastructure projects have been identified in the EU’s first list of ‘Projects of energy community interest’ (PECIs).
The first list of PECIs comprises five electricity transmission and one energy storage project involving seven energy community members and follows the application of the TEN-E (Trans-European Network for Energy) regulation in the Community.
The transmission projects involving high and extra high voltage overhead lines are:
● Bosnia & Herzegovina/Montenegro – Increasing the capacity of the existing 220kV interconnection between Trebinja and Perućica due for commissioning in 2028
● Moldova/Ukraine – 330kV interconnection between Balti and Dnestrovsk due 2032
● Trans-Balkan corridor – Double overhead 400kV line between Bajina Basta (Serbia) and Višegrad (Bosnia & Herzegovina)/Pljevlja (Montenegro) due 2027
● Albania-Kosovo – Reconfiguration of 400kV grid and new 400kV interconnection due 2030
● Albania – Closing the 400kV internal ring due 2030.
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The energy storage project is:
● Ukraine – DTEK 225MW storage due 2028.
The capex estimated for the five transmission projects is €200.5 million and for the storage project €248 million.
Benefits for PECIs are similar to those of the projects of common interest and mutual interest (PCIs/PMIs) and include accelerated permitting and eligibility for EU financial support.
They also will be integrated into the ‘central and south eastern European energy connectivity’ action plans on market integration.
The announcement of the PECIs – the list to be updated every two years – was made at the Energy Community’s ministerial meeting, where the importance of transposing the ‘Electricity integration package’ as a key step towards integrating contracting parties’ electricity markets with the EU was stressed.
It’s a unique opportunity for contracting parties to benefit from the EU’s internal electricity market before accession, Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen was reported as saying.
Energy Community Director Artur Lorkowski added: “The electricity integration package offers an accelerated integration with the EU markets now, paving the way for stronger EU accession prospects for our region.”
The meeting also noted progress by contracting parties in decarbonising their energy sectors, finalising their national energy and climate plans towards their 2030 targets.
Contracting parties also were urged to analyse their carbon pricing scenarios to inform a proposal for decarbonisation roadmap update that will also include the commitment to climate neutrality by 2050, with a view of possible adoption in 2025.
The ‘Energy Community’ was established to bring together the EU with nine neighbouring EU candidate or potential candidate countries in the Balkans, the Black Sea region and beyond with the aim to create an integrated regional energy market.
