Smart grid candidate PCIs/PMIs announced

Six electricity and four gas smart grid projects have been proposed for the EU’s first list of projects of common interest (PCI) and projects of mutual interest (PMI).

The projects, which are currently under consultation, are proposed as key cross-border infrastructure initiatives to further integrate and strengthen the EU energy market under the revised TEN-E (Trans-European Networks for Energy) regulation of May 2022.

The PCIs were introduced in 2013 and are updated every two years as the projects and the energy system evolve, with the fifth list of 2021 current.

The new category of PMIs was introduced in the revised TEN-E regulation as projects between the EU and third countries to further promote the integration of renewables and other clean energy technologies to support EU emissions reductions.

Underlying the selection of the PCIs/PMIs is a series of priority geographical ‘corridors’ in which infrastructure upgrades are most urgently required.

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In addition to the electricity and gas smart grid projects, the PCIs are comprised primarily of transmission and storage projects. Other categories include hydrogen infrastructure and electrolysers and CO2 networks.

Electricity smart grid projects

The six electricity smart grid projects are as follows.

ACON (Again COnnected Networks) Smart Grids in the southern and eastern part of the Czech Republic and the bordering areas with Slovakia is designed to foster the integration of the electricity markets by improving efficiency of distribution networks while increasing cross-border capacity. Construction started in 2019 and commissioning is scheduled for Q4 2027.

CARMEN (Carpathian Modernisation of Energy Network) is planned for implementation in the northeast Romania with multiple technologies at the distribution level and includes strengthening the transmission network and its integration with that of northern Bulgaria. The project is due to start in 2024 with commissioning by December 2030.

Danube InGrid is aimed to strengthen the interaction and integration between the Slovak and Hungarian electricity markets and to deepen cooperation between the DSOs and TSOs to enable the integration of more solar and wind generation into the distribution grid. Construction was started in 2020 and commissioning is slated by December 2029.

EGI (Europe’s Green and Intelligent) Grid in Poland, Czech Republic and Sweden is planned to modernise and smarten the distribution grid in the three countries to improve grid management and cross-border energy supply with regional congestion management and other solutions including a central data hub for flexibility management. Preparatory work has been under way since 2021 and commissioning is planned for December 2030.

Gabreta Smart Grids in the South Bohemia region of the Czech Republic and southern Bavaria in Germany will implement new MV interconnection points for cross-border interconnection to meet the increased demand for renewable energy interconnections in these areas. Construction was started in Q3 2022 with commissioning planned for December 2030.

GreenSwitch is aimed to increase the hosting capacity for distributed renewable sources with upgrades to improve quality of supply, coordinate flexibility procurement and supply and increase the cross-border capacity between Slovenia, Croatia and Austria. Construction of some assets is planned for 2024 with commissioning by December 2028.

Of these, all except EGI Grid were on the previous PCI list and ACON since the 2017 third list.

Smart gas grid projects

The smart gas grid project category is a new one for the 2023 list, with the four projects as follows.

Installation of hydrogen-ready chromatographs in 11 locations in Hungary is planned to support the introduction of renewable hydrogen all over Hungary and enable blended hydrogen flows from Hungary to Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Austria. Construction is planned to start in mid-2024 and commissioning by October 2025.

SmartSwitch project (Greek section) is planned to upgrade the Greek gas transmission network up to its interconnection with the Bulgarian gas transmission network to enable the penetration of hydrogen into Greece’s energy system. Construction is expected to start in 2025 and operation starting in 2027.

SmartSwitch project (Bulgarian section) is planned to similarly upgrade the gas transmission infrastructure in Bulgaria with metering, monitoring and other technologies for hydrogen and other renewable gases. Commissioning is scheduled by the end of 2027.

Flexible grid for Danish renewable gases is intended to introduce reverse flow and oxygen removal plants for biomethane export production and to upgrade the country’s gas measurement system for hydrogen. The first tenders for the reverse flow stations are planned by mid-2023.

The consultation runs to 16 March, after which the projects will undergo detailed scrutiny to meet the criteria set in the revised TEN-E regulation.

All the projects finally selected are able to benefit from streamlined permitting, environmental assessment and regulatory procedures and are eligible for financial support from the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility.