ACER-JRC webinar: ensuring sufficient grid capacity for electricity trade

ACER and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) are organising a joint webinar to present and discuss the key findings from their 2024 publications, focusing on electricity grid congestion and transmission capacities for electricity trade:

• ACER’s yearly monitoring report on cross-zonal transmission capacities and the progress of Member States in reaching the minimum 70% requirement;
• JRC’s future-looking assessment on the evolution of congestion management in the current EU market design.

Tackling barriers in the EU’s transition to net-zero

A successfully integrated EU electricity market is crucial for the EU’s ambitions of achieving net-zero emissions, while maintaining its global competitiveness. How efficiently the electricity market design addresses grid congestion is key to this effort.

Realising the 70% transmission capacity requirement helps further integrate markets

EU rules mandate that grid operators ensure at least 70% of transmission capacity is available for electricity trade with neighbouring countries by the end of 2025. Why? Making the required 70% of capacity available for cross-zonal trade better integrates markets, enhances security of supply, reduces price volatility and increases the flexibility of the system. ACER monitors annually the availability of cross-zonal capacities in the EU and the progress of Member States in reaching the 70% requirement.

Future-proofing the European electricity market

The European Commission’s JRC has developed a future-looking assessment of the volume and cost of addressing congestion in the electricity grid for the target years 2030 and 2040, based on different grid expansion scenarios.

Event objectives

In this webinar, experts from ACER and JRC will:

• present the main conclusions of the two publications;
• discuss questions from stakeholders; and
• collect stakeholders’ feedback on the reports’ findings.

Pre-reading material

• ACER 2024 market monitoring report on transmission capacities available for cross-zonal trade of electricity and congestion management in the EU.
• ACER communication on its Opinion to the European Parliament and Commission on the implementation of the 70% requirement (April 2024).
• JRC’s future-looking assessment on the role of congestion management in the current electricity market design (May 2024).
• Learn more about why 70% grid capacity target is needed for renewable goals.