EU money injects new life into electricity interconnection

EWEA, 09 March 2010, 2:21pm

PRESS RELEASE: The European Commission today allocated over €903 million to electricity interconnection projects as part of its broader European Economic Recovery Plan, injecting new impetus into long standing electricity grid development plans within the EU.

Nine projects received funding, including the vital France-Spain interconnection, which has been planned for a long time. Despite the importance of this connection, which will allow Spain to exchange more electricity with other European countries and ensure interconnectivity between continental Europe and the Iberian peninsula, the project has suffered continual setbacks since its conception in the 1980s, said Paul Wilczek, Regulatory Affairs Advisor for the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). This funding is a great boost for the integration of wind power in Europe and will improve the operation of Europe’s electricity markets and benefit consumers, he added. Funds will also be allocated to a link between Sweden and the Baltic States, the Nordbalt line, as well as to reinforce an interconnection between Finland and Estonia, Estlink-2, amongst other transmission lines. If we want to fully exploit the potential of renewable energies, create a truly European power market, and keep electricity prices low for consumers, we need to connect the whole of Europe, Wilczek said. These projects are a good start and the right way forward. Europe now needs to carry on developing the interconnectivity of its electricity grids, concluded Wilczek. To download the European Commission document please click here