ACER Calls For Stronger Coordination And Consistency Across EU Electricity, Gas And Hydrogen Planning
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Today, ACER publishes its Opinion on the Integrated Model report for EU electricity, gas and hydrogen infrastructure planning, submitted by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) and for Gas (ENTSOG) and prepared with support from the European Network of Network Operators for Hydrogen (ENNOH). As Europe’s energy transition increasingly blurs the boundaries between energy sectors, decisions in one system directly affect infrastructure needs and costs in the others. The Trans-European Energy Infrastructure (TEN-E) Regulation requires ENTSO-E and ENTSOG to jointly develop a consistent and progressively integrated model to support coordinated infrastructure planning across the three sectors and underpin future EU-level Ten-Year Network Development Plans (TYNDPs). What does ACER say? ACER’s Opinion assesses whether the report provides a sufficiently robust basis for more coherent, cross-sector infrastructure planning at EU level. The report is a useful starting point, with some progress beyond joint scenario development, including the creation of a dedicated cross-sector working group. However, ACER finds that the framework does not clarify how it will contribute to greater consistency and integration of EU infrastructure planning through concrete milestones. Cross-sector requirements remain unclear and stakeholder consultation was limited. As a result, it remains unclear whether the proposed framework will deliver practical improvements in infrastructure needs assessments, investment decision-making or system-wide cost optimisation. ACER’s recommendations and next steps Among other recommendations, ACER calls on ENTSO-E and ENTSOG, together with ENNOH, to:
ACER expects ENTSO-E and ENTSOG to implement these recommendations before submitting the report to the European Commission for approval. |