On May 30th, EU energy ministers at the Energy Council meeting approved a proposal to pave the way for an“interconnected and highly resilient European Supergrid”, in an effort to realize and deepen European grid integration and promote long-term, coordinated grid infrastructure development.

This was the last meeting of Belgian Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten's six-month presidency of the EU Energy Council. The EU energy ministers signed a comprehensive statement emphasizing“the need to launch an EU supergrid,”according to the statement. Hungary will take over the Belgian presidency of the EU Council on July 1st.

The meeting also called on the Commission to assess and identify gaps and, where necessary, develop measures to improve the governance framework at EU level regarding the planning, selection and implementation of cross-border infrastructure to ensure the full integration of European and regional approaches.

Van der Straeten said, “The grid saved us in the energy crisis of 2022, when interconnected grids allowed electricity to flow smoothly between countries and helped us to address supply disruptions at that time. “

The electricity grid is high on the EU political agenda as electricity consumption is expected to grow by 350% as the EU decarbonization program proceeds. The European Commission believes that by 2030, grid investment will reach 600 billion euros. Bruegel, an international think tank in Brussels, said deeper integration of the European grid could reduce fuel use by 21 percent by 2030 and would significantly reduce electricity price volatility.

The Council concluded by emphasizing the need for long-term, coordinated grid infrastructure planning at the European level, particularly in view of the growing problem of grid congestion. The need to launch an EU supergrid to incorporate more renewable energy sources, support electrification, stabilize prices and improve energy security was emphasized.

Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/qiVupXkKZe8v0OOu188NFw