Question to the EC: TEN-E revision, TYNDP and 5th PCI list

See the joint question by MEPs Francisco Guerreiro, Marie Toussaint, Rasmus Andresen, Anna Cavazzini, Daniel Freund, Henrike Hahn, Jutta Paulus, Michael Bloss, Reinhard Bütikofer, Sven Giegold, Kira Marie Peter-Hansen, Margrete Auken, François Alfonsi, Benoît Biteau, Damien Carême, David Cormand, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, Claude Gruffat, Caroline Roose, Mounir Satouri, Salima Yenbou, Pär Holmgren, Alice Kuhnke, Jakop G. Dalunde, Tilly Metz, Ciarán Cuffe, Grace O'Sullivan, Ernest Urtasun, Ville Niinistö, Karima Delli, and Yannick Jadot (Greens/EFA), Petros Kokkalis, Manuel Bompard, Manon Aubry, Leila Chaibi, Marc Botenga, Nikolaj Villumsen (GUE/NGL), Piernicola Pedicini, Rosa D'Amato, Eleonora Evi, Fabio Massimo Castaldo (NI), Raphaël Glucksmann, Aurore Lalucq, Marianne Vind, Maria Arena (S&D), and Pascal Durand (Renew).

The questions posed and the answers from the European Commission on TEN-E revision, TYNDP and 5th PCI list.

Subject: TEN-E revision, TYNDP and 5th PCI list

In 2019, the Commission adopted the 4th list of projects of common interest (PCI). It is now revising the TEN-E regulation so as to include binding criteria consistent with our climate objectives and the Green Deal and to introduce a democratic governance structure for the planning and selection of projects. In this recovery context, every euro must serve our future: the post-2020 CEF energy budget has been cut to EUR 5.18 billion and we cannot risk wasting a single euro on fossil fuels.

1. How does the Commission intend to take into account, in the TEN-E revision and in the transitional provisions for the 5th PCI, the fact that general gas demand will decline according to the Commission’s own and other scenarios, which shows that the existing gas grid is sufficient even in case of security of supply issues such as disruptions?

2. Will it develop a new TYNDP and long-term energy scenario, through a democratic and transparent process consistent with our climate goals, aligning our energy infrastructures with the sufficiency principle in order to reduce our energy demand?

3. In the context of COVID-19, how will the Commission ensure that the 5th list will promote projects that fulfil sustainability criteria and can actively contribute to the EU’s short-term recovery?

Answer in writing

1.  It is indeed expected that, once the gas projects of common interest currently under construction are implemented by 2022, the EU will have a well-interconnected gas grid and become resilient. In the process to establish the 5th list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI), the TEN-E Regional Groups will use a PCI assessment methodology on the basis of a scenario consistent with the most recent Commission projections, which will include electricity and gas demands in line with the 2030 and 2050 EU energy and climate targets. 

2. The European Networks of Transmission System Operators ( ENTSO) prepare biennial Ten-Year Network Development Plans (TYNDP) for electricity and for gas based on scenarios consulted with the Commission and stakeholders. The Commission is working with ENTSO to refine the assumptions to the TYNDP and align them with the EU climate goals. The revision of the TEN-E Regulation will address(1) the governance of infrastructure planning to reflect the new infrastructure categories and the involvement of relevant stakeholders.

3. The Commission will strive to integrate more projects in the PCI process that can bring an immediate contribution to the economic recovery while supporting the objectives of the European Green Deal, i.a. by integrating renewable energy. An updated sustainability criterion will be used in the assessment of candidate projects for the 5th PCI list.

(1) As laid down in the TEN-E Revision Roadmap/Inception impact assessment:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12382-Revision-of-the-guidelines-for-trans-European-Energy-infrastructure

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