“Today, the Commission granted 235 cross-border energy projects the status of Projects of Common Interest and Mutual Interest – the second list of its kind since its inception in 2023. The selected projects will be eligible for EU funding through the Connecting Europe Facility and will benefit from accelerated licensing and regulatory processes for faster execution and delivery,” the institution announced in a statement.
Included in the list are two Portuguese projects: one concerning the electrical interconnection between Portugal and Spain (passing through Ponte de Lima, Vila Nova de Famalicão, Beariz, and Fontefría) and another concerning hydrogen interconnection between Portugal, Spain, France, and Germany (namely an internal hydrogen infrastructure in Portugal and a hydrogen interconnector between Portugal and Spain and other links).
“These projects will enhance energy connectivity across the continent, bringing the completion of the Energy Union closer. By enabling vital interconnections across the EU and with neighboring countries, these projects can play a strategic role in enhancing EU competitiveness, decarbonization, and strengthening Europe’s energy security and independence,” highlights the European Commission.
Data from Brussels reveal that the investment needs in European energy infrastructures – electricity, hydrogen, and CO2 grids – will approach 1.5 trillion euros between 2024 and 2040.
“This set of projects and the expected investment volumes will contribute to meeting the identified needs for 2040,” the institution observes.
With the current designation, Brussels is committed to supporting the implementation of these projects through strengthened political coordination with the involved Member States, European working groups, and regional partnerships.
This month, the presentation of a European Networks Package is expected, aimed at accelerating the development of the necessary energy infrastructure in Europe, which also includes the Energy Highways project to urgently address cross-border energy infrastructure bottlenecks and increase the overall resilience of the EU’s energy system.
According to the European Commission, among these energy highways are electrical interconnections in the Pyrenees to better integrate the Iberian Peninsula, as well as a southwestern hydrogen corridor to transport decarbonized hydrogen from production sites to where the industry needs it.
Following today’s adoption, the list will be submitted to the European Parliament and the EU Council.
These projects are funded by the Connecting Europe Facility, which since 2014 has allocated around 8 billion euros to flagship projects and has a projected budget of nearly 30 billion euros in the next Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034.
