Regions and cities in the EU are calling for a formal role in planning electricity grids, alongside protections for low-income households and rules to ensure large energy users pay a fair share of network costs.
An opinion on the European Grids Package was adopted by a majority at the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) plenary session on 5 March, it said.
The CoR is an EU advisory body representing local and regional authorities.
The opinion asks for a binding role for regions and cities in EU energy network governance and urges the European Commission to invite the CoR to take part in the Energy Union Task Force.
Europe has one of the most interconnected electricity grids in the world, but ageing infrastructure and limited interconnection capacity have created bottlenecks and congestion across the EU, it said.
The Commission has estimated €1.2 trillion is needed to modernise the infrastructure.
Focus on local delivery and household bills
The opinion calls for a “local energy action and delivery” (LEAD) framework to support permit-granting procedures and local and regional solutions, the CoR stated.
It also says cities and regions should be recognised as partners in planning, permitting, monitoring and advocacy.
On affordability, local and regional leaders said grid development should reduce household energy bills, with expansion costs shared fairly among all users and with full protection for low-income households.
The opinion also proposes lowering the threshold for mandatory community benefit-sharing from 10 MW to 5 MW, and giving local and regional authorities a formal role in designing, implementing and monitoring those arrangements.
Rapporteur Clare Colleran Molloy, Deputy Mayor of Clare County in Ireland, said: “Europe cannot deliver affordable, clean and secure energy without urgently modernising its electricity grids.”
