Guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure

SUMMARY OF:

Regulation (EU) 2022/869 on guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE REGULATION?

It sets out new guidelines for the development and interoperability of European Union (EU)-wide energy infrastructure corridors and priority areas, bringing them in line with the European Green Deal. The guidelines contribute to:

ensuring climate change mitigation, in particular to achieve the EU’s 2030 energy and climate objectives and its objective of climate neutrality by 2050; and
ensuring interconnections, energy security, market and system integration, competition that benefits all EU Member States and affordable energy prices.

KEY POINTS

Trans-European networks for energy

The trans-European networks for energy (TEN-E) link the energy infrastructures of Member States.
The TEN-E include a number of priority corridors and areas, and priority thematic areas such as smart electricity grid deployment.
The regulation revises the rules for the TEN-E, including rules for identifying projects of common interest and projects of mutual interest (projects promoted by the Member States in cooperation with non-EU countries).

Objectives

The revised rules are designed to achieve a number of goals, including the following.

Encouraging investment in hydrogen and CO₂ networks and the development of offshore networks.
Ending support for new natural gas and oil projects and introducing mandatory sustainability criteria for all projects.
Simplifying and speeding up permit and authorisation procedures, including the creation of a single contact point per project for permits and authorisations.
Allowing, during a transitional period until 31 December 2029, the use of hydrogen assets converted from natural gas assets for transport or storage of a predefined mixture of hydrogen with natural gas or biomethane.
For Cyprus and Malta, which are not interconnected to the trans-European gas network, allowing projects which have the status of projects of common interest to maintain their status until Cyprus and Malta are interconnected to the trans-European gas network. This derogation will apply to each of these Member States until it is directly interconnected to the trans-European gas network or until 31 December 2029.
Highlighting the role of energy from renewable sources in relation to all assets, including smart gas grids.
Creating a non-binding cooperation possibility in the field of offshore grid planning.
Strengthening the TEN-E governance process by enhancing the role of relevant stakeholders – the consultation must be open, transparent and organised to allow for feedback in preparing the key phases of the EU-wide 10-year network development plans. The European Networks of Transmission Systems Operators for electricity and for gas must take into consideration the input received from stakeholders during consultations and should explain how they took that input into account.

The regulation amends Regulation (EU) 2019/943 (see summary), Regulation (EU) 2019/942 (see summary), Regulation (EC) No 715/2009 (see summary), Directive (EU) 2019/944 (see summary) and Directive 2009/73/EC (see summary), and repeals Regulation (EU) No 347/2013.

FROM WHEN DOES THE REGULATION APPLY?

It has applied since 23 June 2022.

BACKGROUND

Trans-European networks for energy (European Commission).

MAIN DOCUMENT

Regulation (EU) 2022/869 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2022 on guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure, amending Regulations (EC) No 715/2009, (EU) 2019/942 and (EU) 2019/943 and Directives 2009/73/EC and (EU) 2019/944, and repealing Regulation (EU) No 347/2013 (OJ L 152, 3.6.2022, pp. 45–102).