EU considers energy infrastructure upgrade

The European Commission's proposes efficient energy-flow across all Member States, aiming to reduce clean energy costs.

The European Grids Package and the Energy Highways initiative aims to ensure secure and reliable supply as Europe moves away from Russian energy imports towards energy independence.

The Commission claims that the package brings 'a truly European perspective on infrastructure planning', while accelerating permitting procedures and ensuring a fairer division of costs regarding cross-border projects.

It is also proposing additional ways of financing.

These legislative proposals will be considered by the European Parliament and the Council.

The Commission says the EU has not been able to interconnect Member States enough to enable a genuine Energy Union, as several members are not on track to meet the 15% interconnection target by 2030.

'The cost of inaction is staggering', it claims. in 2022, fossil fuels had the largest share of gross available energy use at 70% in the EU, with 98% of all oil and gas used in Member States being imported. This is said to expose the EU to price volatility and geopolitical risks.