Projects of common interest
At the core of the EU electrical system
The TEN-E Regulation introduced the so called “Projects of Common Interest" (PCIs). PCIs are infrastructure projects which have a significant impact on the EU electricity and gas systems, and help the EU achieving its energy policy and climate objectives: ensuring affordable, secure, and sustainable energy for all citizens.
PCIs also play a key role in the long-term decarbonisation of the economy in accordance with the Paris Agreement.
The PCI label helps accelerating the planning, streamlining permit granting and thus facilitating faster commissioning of projects, which bring the highest value to the European consumer.
Every two years, the European Commission draws up a list of PCIs, starting with the first list in 2013.
In April 2022 the fifth PCI list entered into force, with 98 projects in total: 72 electricity transmission, storage and smart grid projects, 20 gas and 6 CO2 network projects.
On 3 June 2022, the revised TEN-E Regulation was published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
The new Regulation, among others, aims to:
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conform the infrastructure development to reflect the climate mitigation’s targets,
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promote the integration of renewables and of clean energy technologies into the energy system,
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continue to connect isolated regions,
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strengthen existing cross-border interconnections and
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promote cooperation with partner countries.
Projects of common interest
What's the role of ACER?
ACER contributes to various activities concerning the selection, implementation and monitoring of the electricity and gas transmission, storage and smart-grid PCIs (for example via opinions on draft Regional lists of PCIs, decisions on cross-border cost allocation, monitoring reports on PCI progress). ACER also provides support through the scrutiny of respective TYNDPs, which are used as a gateway to the PCI label.