Energy: EU invests €217 million in energy infrastructure

Today, Member States agreed on a Commission proposal to invest €217 million in key trans-European energy infrastructure projects, mainly in Central and South Eastern Europe. In total, 15 projects were selected following a call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), an EU funding programme for infrastructure. The selected projects will increase energy security and help end the isolation of Member States from EU-wide energy networks. They will also contribute to the completion of a European energy market and the integration of renewables into the electricity grid. The European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete said: “Today, we are targeting those regions in Europe which need it the most. With this funding we will help secure supplies and fully integrate Europe’s energy market by connecting networks across Europe. We must press ahead with the modernisation of our energy networks to bring any country still isolated into the European energy market. Modern energy networks are also crucial to ensuring efficient use of our energy resources and therefore key to reaching our climate goals.” Of the 15 proposals selected for funding, nine are in the gas sector (financial aid worth €207 million) and six in electricity sector (€10 million). Increasing the number of strategic energy interconnectors in Europe is central to reaching the Energy Union’s target of diversifying energy sources and reducing the high energy dependency of several Member States. Energy Union and climate change policy are one of the main political priorities of Juncker Commission. For more information see press release IP/16/94 and the Energy Union’s central page.