EC presenteert lijst met energieprojecten van gemeenschappelijk belang (en) - Hoofdinhoud

On Monday, 14 October, the European Commission presented its proposal for the first EU list of projects of common interest. This priority list, which includes 248 energy infrastructure projects, should accelerate the implementation of the energy infrastructure necessary for the EU internal market.

"The list of projects of common interest presented by the European Commission is an important intermediate step towards the single EU energy market. Particular proposals of the European Commission undoubtedly contribute to the implementation of the EU energy infrastructure projects so we hope that this list of energy infrastructure projects will help the European Union solve the most urgent energy infrastructure challenges," said Lithuanian Minister of Energy Jaroslav Neverovič.

A list of projects of common interest includes energy infrastructure projects of regional importance. In the proposed EU list of projects of common interest, the Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan (BEMIP) is highlighted as one of the regional initiatives. The list of projects of common interest proposed by the European Commission includes six BEMIP energy infrastructure projects that are partially implemented by Lithuania. Three of them belong to the electricity sector: the Lithuanian-Polish power "LitPol Link", the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian simultaneous accession to the continental European networks, and the Kruonis pumped storage power plant capacity extension, and three belong to the gas sector: the pipeline "Klaipėda-Kiemėnai" extension, the Lithuanian-Latvian gas connector extension, and the Lithuanian-Polish gas connection.

“In the gas sector, one priority is the security of supply. Our aim is that EU member states such as Lithuania and Poland, Romania and Bulgaria gain access to at least two alternative sources of gas supply. We seek the integration of these countries into the EU, and they should not be dependent on the gas supply exceptionally from Russia," admitted EU Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger i presenting the EU list of projects of common interest at a press conference.

The list of projects of common interest proposed by the European Commission will be approved by the European Parliament and the EU Council that is currently chaired by Lithuania.

"Lithuania, as the EU Presidency, will seek for the fastest possible approval by the EU Council of the list of projects of common interest, thus creating all the necessary conditions for more rapid implementation from the beginning of 2014. The European Council agreed that the EU internal energy market must be created by 2014, and after 2015 no energy islands should remain in the EU. The list of projects of common interest that the European Commission proposed today is a concrete step and the instrument for the elimination of energy isolation that conditions the EU energy islands (including Lithuanian) as well as the creation of the EU internal energy market", stressed the Minister of Energy.

Implementation of the EU common interest projects will be ensured by faster planning and permit issuing procedures, as a strictly binding three-and-a-half-year term for permit issuing is provided. These projects can also be submitted for funding under an EU support measure, namely the EU Connecting Europe Facility instrument, and the donation for 2014-2020 may reach 5.85 billion euros.

On 4-5 November, Vilnius will host a high level conference devoted to energy infrastructure that will discuss the EU projects of common interest. This conference is one of the most important events during the Lithuanian Presidency on the energy policy agenda. The conference will focus on the perspective of the implementation of EU common interest projects and define the follow-up actions necessary to create the EU energy infrastructure and the EU internal energy market.

The list of projects of common interest presented by the European Commission:

http://ec.europa.eu/energy/infrastructure/pci/doc/2013_pci_projects_country.pdf