Six electricity and four gas smart grid projects have been proposed for the EU’s first list of projects of common interest (PCI) and projects of mutual interest (PMI).

The projects, which are currently under consultation, are proposed as key cross-border infrastructure initiatives to further integrate and strengthen the EU energy market under the revised TEN-E (Trans-European Networks for Energy) regulation of May 2022.

The PCIs were introduced in 2013 and are updated every two years as the projects and the energy system evolve, with the fifth list of 2021 current.

The new category of PMIs was introduced in the revised TEN-E regulation as projects between the EU and third countries to further promote the integration of renewables and other clean energy technologies to support EU emissions reductions.

In addition to the electricity and gas smart grid projects, the PCIs are comprised primarily of transmission and storage projects.

Electricity smart grid projects

The six electricity smart grid projects are as follows.

ACON (Again COnnected Networks) Smart Grids in the southern and eastern part of the Czech Republic and the bordering areas with Slovakia is designed to foster the integration of the electricity markets by improving efficiency of distribution networks while increasing cross-border capacity. Construction started in 2019 and commissioning is scheduled for Q4 2027.

CARMEN (Carpathian Modernisation of Energy Network) is planned for implementation in the northeast Romania with multiple technologies at the distribution level and includes strengthening the transmission network and its integration with that of northern Bulgaria. The project is due to start in 2024 with commissioning by December 2030.

Danube InGrid is aimed to strengthen the interaction and integration between the Slovak and Hungarian electricity markets and to deepen cooperation between the DSOs and TSOs to enable the integration of more solar and wind generation into the distribution grid. Construction was started in 2020 and commissioning is slated by December 2029.

EGI (Europe’s Green and Intelligent) Grid in Poland, Czech Republic and Sweden is planned to modernise and smarten the distribution grid in the three countries to improve grid management and cross-border energy supply with regional congestion management and other solutions including a central data hub for flexibility management. Preparatory work has been under way since 2021 and commissioning is planned for December 2030.

Gabreta Smart Grids in the South Bohemia region of the Czech Republic and southern Bavaria in Germany will implement new MV interconnection points for cross-border interconnection to meet the increased demand for renewable energy interconnections in these areas. Construction was started in Q3 2022 with commissioning planned for December 2030.

GreenSwitch is aimed to increase the hosting capacity for distributed renewable sources with upgrades to improve quality of supply, coordinate flexibility procurement and supply and increase the cross-border capacity between Slovenia, Croatia and Austria. Construction of some assets is planned for 2024 with commissioning by December 2028.

Of these, all except EGI Grid were on the previous PCI list and ACON since the 2017 third list.