欧洲电力行业联盟-欧洲电力公司电网行动计划（英）

EurelectricAction

planonGrids

AEurelectricpositionpaper

November2023

EurelectricrepresentstheinterestsoftheelectricityindustryinEurope.Ourworkcoversallmajorissuesaffectingoursector.Ourmembersrepresenttheelectricityindustryinover30Europeancountries.

Wecovertheentireindustryfromelectricitygenerationandmarketstodistributionnetworksandcustomerissues.Wealsohaveaffiliatesactiveonseveralothercontinentsandbusinessassociatesfromawidevarietyofsectorswithadirectinterestintheelectricityindustry.

Westandfor

ThevisionoftheEuropeanpowersectoristoenableandsustain:

-AvibrantcompetitiveEuropeaneconomy,reliablypoweredbyclean,carbon-neutralenergy

-Asmart,energyefficientandtrulysustainablesocietyforallcitizensofEurope

Wearecommittedtoleadacost-effectiveenergytransitionby:

investingincleanpowergenerationandtransition-enablingsolutions,toreduceemissionsandactivelypursueeffortstobecomecarbon-neutralwellbeforemid-century,takingintoaccountdifferentstartingpointsandcommercialavailabilityofkeytransitiontechnologies;

transformingtheenergysystemtomakeitmoreresponsive,resilientandefficient.Thisincludesincreaseduseofrenewableenergy,digitalisation,demandsideresponseandreinforcementofgridssotheycanfunctionasplatformsandenablersforcustomers,citiesandcommunities;

acceleratingtheenergytransitioninothereconomicsectorsbyofferingcompetitiveelectricityasatransformationtoolfortransport,heatingandindustry;

embeddingsustainabilityinallpartsofourvaluechainandtakemeasurestosupportthetransformationofexistingassetstowardsazerocarbonsociety;

innovatingtodiscoverthecutting-edgebusinessmodelsanddevelopthebreakthroughtechnologiesthatareindispensabletoallowourindustrytoleadthistransition.

D/2023/12.105/43

Distribution&MarketFacilitationcommittee

WGRegulation&Networkcustomers

WGTechnology

contact:

LouiseRULLAUD

HeadofDistribution&MarketFacilitationteam

MélisISIKLI

policyadvisor,gridintegrationlead

JessicaGARCIA

policyadvisor,sustainability&.digitalisation

AEurelectricpositionpaper

November2023

KEYMESSAGES

•EurelectricstronglysupportstheinitiativeannouncedbytheEuropeancommissionto

releaseaEuropeanplanforGrids·Toachieveasuccessfulenergytransition,

regulatoryobstaclestothegrid'sexpansionanddigitalisationmustberemoved

•scarcityofgridcapacityisalreadyeadingtodelaysinrenewableproject

connectionsinseveralEUMemberstatesandslowingdownthedecarbonisationof

keysectors(e.g.,heating，transport).powergridsriskbecomingpossible

bottleneckforintegratingRES,fexibleloads,andadditionalbaseloadratherthanan

enablerThisunderscorestheimperativetoprioritisedistributiongridsontheEU's

politicalagendatoensuresecurityofsupply.

•Thepowersectorseesthefollowingobjectivesandconcreteactions(seethefulllist

inannex)asessentialelementsforacomprehensiveandeffectiveEuropeanAction

planonGrids:

Iookingregulatoryframeworkforanticipatorygridplanningandinvestment

oRegulationandregulatorsshouldshiftfromanoutdatedincrementalapproach

toaforward-lookingonetokeeppacewiththeEU'sdynamicenergysystem

currently,mostregulatoryframeworksinEuropearemorefocusedon

preventingexcessiveinvestmentthanensuringthegridmeetssociety's

evolvingneeds

oFurtherregulatoryclarifcationisneededtopreventystemperators(sos)

fromfacingfinancialpenaltiesduetounderutilisedgridcapacitybuiltinan

anticipatoryway,whichmaybewronglyperceivedasinefcient

o

onaverageThese

cover

.costsrelatedtohardwareinfrastructure(lines,substations)implyinga

greaterdeploymentofcapEX(capitalExpenditure)thatwouldonlybe

possiblewithinamodernregulatoryframeworkandwithcompetitive

.costsrelatedtothedigitalisationofthegrid.ltisessentialtoenable

moreflexibilityinadjustingcapExandoperatingExpenditure(OPEX)

astimelyaspossible

ocostsrelatedtohumanexpertiseandresourcesmustbeincluded·Thepower

industryisdedicatedtosupportingskillinitiatives,includingpactforskills

partnerships,trainingprograms,reskillingandthepromotionoftechnicalcareers·

opromotinganticipatorygridplanningimpliestosuccessfullyimplementnetwork

developmentplansatnationallevelandalignthemwithnationalenergyandclimat

plans(NECPS)over5-10years,extendingto2050.NEcpsshouldalsoincludea

bindingnetworkplanfornationalenergyandclimatetargets.

2.secureandmobilisethenecessaryfnancialcapabilities

owhileprivatecapitalremainsthemainrouteforinvestmentingrids，Eufundingisa

complementarytooltotriggerfurtherinvestmentsinprojectsandalleviatetherisk

ofincreasedtariffswhichcouldresultfromincreasedinvestments.presently,the

manyEufundsdonotconsiderdistributionsystemoperator(DSO)needsenough·

Thiscanbeobservedintheverylimitedallocationofgrantstoprojectsledby

DSOSToimprovethesituationwenotablysuggest

.createadedicatedprogrammeinthenextMultiannualFinancialFramework

(MFF)tosupportdecentralisedgridfacilityrelatedprojects·

.provideclearerinformationanddirectivesforMemberstatestoincludethe

gridwhenthecommissionlaunchesnewfundingopportunities

.Guaranteethatregulatedbusinesscangenuinelybenefitfromgrantsby

issuingcommissionguidelineandrevisingthecommonprovisions

RegulationforGrant-FundedAssets·

3Ensurethebestlevelofstakeholderengagementtoaccelerateproject

authorisationanddeployment

Thisimplies:

osimplifyingthepermittingprocessforgridupgrades,whetherphysicalordigital.

FollowingtheexamplesetbytheRenewableEnergyDirective(RED),itisessential

forthecommissiontoestablishclearpolicyguidelinesemphasisingthatthegridis

criticalinfrastructureofpublicinterest.Thisshouldpromptadministratitoprocess

gridenhancementrequestswithindefinedandstrictdefinedtimeframes.

commissionguidelinesontheimplemenationoftheREDanditsreforminthelong

runarerequired

oprovidingtransparencyregardingthegridsroleandconnectionproceduresto

gainpublicacceptance,whetherfromgeneratorsorconsumers.Existingtoolslike

capacitymapsofferinformationongridstatusandmustbegeneralised.Inturn,the

involvementofstakeholdersinnetworkdevelopmentplansisusefulforall

stakeholdersandwouldprovidethemostcompleteinformationonthegridS

needs.Empoweringconsumerscanalsobedoneviaflexibleconnection

agreementstoexpeditetheirconnectionsinareaswherethegridisawaiting

o.Anysustainabilityinitiativeshouldassessitsrawmaterialsupply,supplychain

risksandlifecycleperspective

oEnsuringaresilientgridtoextremeweathereventscanbeachievedbyincreasing

coordinationandcommunicationbetweennetworkoperators(transmissionsystem

operatorsorTSOS,andDSOs),increasingclimateadaptionmeasuresandby

safeguardinggridstabilityonislands.

oFinally,gridsneedtobedigitalisedtocopewithincreasedgridcomplexityand

renewablesintegration.consequently,wecallforspeeding-upthesmartmeter

roll-out,ensuringdatainteroperabilitysecuringfaircompetitionfordatasharing

andpromotinginnovationintheAlActFurthermoreitiskeytoharmonise

cybersecuritylegislationandtoincentiwiseinnovationprojectswithflexible

1

EurelectricActionplanonGrids

oInJuly2021,theEuropeanunion(theEU)unveiledanewlegislativepackageunderthe

EuropeanGreenDeal,knownasthe"Fitfor55package".Thissetofproposalsaimsat

updatingandrevisingexistinglegislationtoenabletheEutoreduceitsnet

greenhousegasemissionsbyatleast55%by2030comparedto1990levelsand

achieveclimateneutralityby2050.Mostofthelegislativeflesfromthispackage

reachedapoliticalagreementin2023,resultinginambitioustargetssuchasraisingthe

renewableenergyshareintheenergymixtoatleast42.5%by2030.

oInMay2022,inresponsetothehardshipsandglobalenergymarketdisruptioncaused

byRussia'sinvasionofukraine,theEuropeancommissionhassetanewlegislativeplan

theREpowerEuwhichnotablyincludesacommunicationcalledthe"EusolarEnergy

strategy"highlightingthenewobjectivetomassivelyandrapidlydeployrenewable

energytoreducetheEU'sdependencyonfossilfuels.Thisstrategyaimstoincrease

thetotalphotovoltaiccapacitytoover320Gwby2025(morethanadoublingthe

capacitycomparedto2020)andnearly600Gwby2030.Inanutshell,REpowerEuhas

added41Gwofwindpowerand62GwofsolarpvtotheFit-for-55targets,bringing

thecumulativerenewablescapacitytargetto753Gwby2030.

oconsideringtheabove-mentionedlegislativechanges,andasstressedin

thecomingyearsshouldbemarkedbyageneral

increaseofthetotalelectricitydemand,afundamentalchangeofthegenerationmix

withalargemajorityofrenewablesourcesconnectedatdistributionlevel,andashift

towardsamoredecentralisedenergysystem.onewillalsoobservearapidand

distincttransitiontowardasignifcantlymoreelectrifedsocietywiththeuseof

technologieslikeheatpumpsorelectricvehicles,whichwillbeconnectedatthe

distributionlevel.Asaresult,withtheincreasingnumberofresourcesconnectedfor

bothenergyinjectionandwithdrawal,aswellastheirdifferentandsometimes

imbalancedlocation,energyflowswithindistributiongridsarebecomingincreasingly

bidirectional·

Distributedenergyresourcesconnectedatdistributionlevel-amassiveincrease

source:3

osimultaneously,theescalatingrisksposedbybothcyberthreatsandclimate-

relateddisruptionsunderscorethepressingneedforenhancedresiliencein

ourinfrastructure.

2

Left:EvolutionofthenumberofnaturaldisastersinEurope

Right:Lossesfromclimate-relatedeventsinEurope1980-2017)

source

oToachieveasuccessfulenergytransition,theEuropeandistributiongridmustbe

preparedatanacceleratedpaceandwithnewcapabilitiesThereisamajor

interdependencybetweentheessentialexpansionofRenewableenergysources(RES)

andtheincreaseofdemandandtheimperativetoaddressthemwithinboththe

transmissionanddistributionlevelsofthegrid.Inessence,ifpoliciesacceleratethe

deploymentofrenewablesandtheelectrificationoftransportorheating，the

correspondinggridupgradesmustalsobeaccelerated.BY2030,ver80%ofthe

additionalREscapacity1willbeconnectedatdistributionlevel.Europemustreinforce

andexpanditsgridinfrastructuretoaddcapacitytomeetthenewpolicygoals.This

entailsdoublingtheamountofnewgridconnectionsandamultifactorcapacity

increaseinsomejurisdictionsby2030tocollectthenewpowersupplyanddistribute

ittoEuropeancitizensandbusinesses.concurrently,whiledevelopingnew

infrastructure,existinggridsshouldbeoptimisedtothefullestthankstoinvestments

intosmart,digitalandexiblesolutions.

oGridsmustexpandandbedigitalisedsignifcantly,andanyexistingobstaclestothis

expansionandinnovationinnationalregulatoryregimesmustberemoved.Today,most

regulatorysystemsonlyrecogniseinvestmentswhentheconnectiondemandisalready

submittedi.e.,Dsoscanonlyreactivelybuildgridandcannotanticipate,evenwhen

growthtargetsforthegridareknown,asoutlinedbytheEU'sambitionsanddemand

growthforecasts.ThisresultsinDsosgridinvestments'tailing'thedemand,whereas

therecentlyagreedEuropeanpolicytargetsprovidesuffcientcertaintyregardingthe

electrifcationrequiredtofacilitatethetransition.Theissueisnotlimitedtoinvestment

recognition.Theregulatoryregimesapplicabletoaccess,connection,network

planningandgriddevelopmentareresponsibleforsuchreactiveapproachtogrid

development.MostregulatoryftameworksinEuropeseemtobemorefocusedin

preventingexcessiveinvestmentthaninensuringthatthegriddeliversalltheservices

thatarerequiredbysocietyltisthereforecrucialtoevowenationalregulatory

1BY2020,withregardsinstalledcapacity,weforeseethat1286GwofREscapacity(829Gwofsolarand457

Gwofonshorewind)willbeconnectedatdistributionleveli.e.,64%ofthetotalenergycapacity(includingfossil

fuel),and80%ofthetotalinstalledREscapacity(source

3

frameworksandpermittingprocedures,allowingDsostomakeanticipatory

investmentandbuildgridsonpubliclyagreedforecast,itselfbeingbasedonpublicly

agreedforward-lookingobjectivesandincentives.Inanutshell,Dsosneedmore

financialandhumanresourcesinordertobeabletobothreacttoenablegrid

connectionandrealisewell-coordinatedgridexpansionand/orreinforcement

programmesforthewholenetwork

oAsshowninEurelectric'StheEucurrentlyinvests

TillnowEU

legislationandrelatedfunding(CEF)havefocusedmostlyonhowtoboost

interconnectionsatthetransmissionlevelratherthanrecognisingtheimportantroleof

thedistributiongridintheenergytransition·Investmentindistributiongridsshouldbe

peryearuntil2050tomeettheadditionaldemandanticipatedwithintheEU's

decarbonisationagenda.

TheneedtoincreasedrasticallyinvestmentsingridinfrastructureforadecarbonisedEU

source

Eurelectric's"Decarbonisationspeedways"study,2023

oscarcityofgridcapacityisalreadynoticeableinseveralEUMemberstates2，leading

todelaysinthedevelopmentcompletion,andconnectionofrenewableprojectsand

slowingdownthedecarbonisationofkeysectors(e.g.,heating,transport·This,in

turn,resultsinwelfarelossesforenergyconsumers.waitingtimesforgridconnections

canrangefrom7to10yearsincertainverycongestedareas,whereasconstructinga

renewableenergyprojectcantakeaslitleasafewmonths.Therefore,tiscriticalto

upgradetheexistinggridinfrastructure,investintheadditionalinfrastructurerequired

andunlockthepotentialofexibilityservicesprocurementtoprocureexibility

servicestomeettheenergydemandsoftheEU.

2Netherlands,spain,Germany,poland,BulgariaandIreland,asindicatedin

september2023

4

sources:AggregatedandanonymiseddatafromanEU-wideDsosurveyconductedbyEurelectric,and

basedonasampleofDsosofallsizes;andIEAdata(2023)

oInthiscontext,powergridsriskshiftingfromakeyenablertoapossiblebottleneck

forconnectingandintegratingRES,flexibleloads,andadditionalbaseload.This

underscorestheimperativetoprioritisedistributiongridsontheEU'spoliticalagenda

tosecureEucitizens'energyprovisionandeconomicactivity'ssecurityofsuppy.

GridsarenotgovernedbyonespecifcEulegislation.Issuesrelatedtoinfrastructureare

addressedindirectlythroughlawsrelatedtoenergysourcesandtheelectricitymarket.

Giventhatthegridhasbecometheprimaryenablerforthedevelopmentofdecentralised

andcleanenergy,itiscrucialtoconductathoroughanalysisofexistinglegalprovisions

andgaps.Theintentshouldbetoensurethesatisfactoryimplementationofexisting

provisionsandsensiblepoliticalinitiatives(e.g.EUActionplans)butalsototarget

improvementalsovianewlegislation,whenneeded,whileavoidingoverlapsin

provisions

EurelectricstronglywelcomestheinitiativeannouncedbytheEuropeancommissionto

1.Resetthemandatefornationalregulatoryuthoritiestodevelopforward-

lookingregulatoryframeworkforanticipatorygridplanningandinvestment

Despitetheincreasinguseofexibilitysolutionswhereavailable,themosteffcientsolution

tocopewithscarcecapacitystillisgridreinforcement,i.e.,physicalexpansion,

reinforcementandrenovationofthenetworks.Thisprocesscantakeseveralyearstoplan

andbuildandthereforeworkmustcontinueandbeenhancedwithoutdelay.Evenwhen

theydoclearsuchobstacles，Dsosmightstillfaceregulatorylimitationstocorresponding

proactiveinvestments.Thisisduetothepossibilitythatinvestmentswithoutcleartangible

demandcouldbedeemedineffcientbythecurrentregulations,eitherbeingdisallowed

bytheNationalRegulatoryAuthorities(NRAS)or"penalized"ineffciencybenchmarks·

Theregulatoryframeworkandregulatorsmustmovefromanincrementalapproachthatis

nolongeradaptedtotheEU'sfastevolvingenergysystem,toabuild-for-the-future

approach.similarly,anticipatorygridplanningmustbepromotedalongthedevelopment

oftoolsandinformationprovidedtoDSOS.(Actionn1

Graspingthepossibilityforsystemoperatorstomakeanticipatoryinvestmentiscrucial.

However,furtherregulatoryclarifcationisneededtoputitintoinpractice,ensuring

systemoperatorsarenotfinanciallypenalisedincasesofunderutilisedgridcapacitybuilt

5

basedonforecast,whichcouldwronglybeequatedtoinefficiency.Therisksharingmust

bebalancedaccordinglyaswiththebenefitofhindsightsomeassetsmightprovetobe

overcapacitized".(Actionn°2)

Regardinginvestmentsinthegrid,therearethreemaincategoriestoconsider:

1.Tostartwith,thereistheextensionofgridcapacitymeaningthegridhardware

infrastructure(mainlyoverheadlines,cablesandsubstations).Greaterdeployment

ofcapEX(capitalExpenditure)deploymentwouldbeonlypossiblewithinamodern

regulatoryframeworkandwithcompetitivereturns(Actionn3)

2.Then,theexpensesrelatedtothedigitalisationofthegridforwhichEurelectrichas

estimatedatotalcostof.ltisessentialtoachieveabalanced

considerationofallexpensesandinvestments,encompassingbothmoreflexibility

inadjustingcapExandoperatingExpenditure(OPEX)astimelyaspossible·(Acion

n°4)

3.Lastlyhumanexpertiseandresourcesmustbeincludedinexpensesrequiedfor

thegrid'spreparationtoadecarbonisedEU.AccordingtoEurelectric's

"connectingthedots"study,makingthepowergridsfttforthetransitionby2030

willcreate500.000jobs.Toachievethis,thepowerindustryiscommittedto

supportanddevelopskillsinitiatives,suchaspartnershipsunderthepactforskills

orindustryinitiatives,todeveloptrainingandreskillingprograms,andtopromote

technicalcarrier(Actionn°5)

withregardstoplanning，itisessentialtopromoteintegratedandanticipatorynetwork

planningtoacceleratethedeploymentofelectrifiedend-useservicesorrenewablesinto

thesystem.

Thetraditionalapproachtonetworkplanningneedstoadapttothechallengesofthe

evolvingenergysystemintheEU.Regulationsthatdonotconsideranticipatory

investmentshavesolidifedpracticesinanobsoletemodelthatfocusesonshorttermcost

efciencymostlyandfailstoconsidertheemergingparadigms.

Togetstarted,ashiftindistributionnetworkplanningshouldbeinitiatedtowardaforward-

Iookingapproach.ThisinvolvesanticipatingtheimplicationsofREscapacityandloadsinto

thesystem.Thisplanningshouldextendoveralongerhorizon,spanning5to10years,and

alignwiththeNationalenergyplanningexercises(NECPS),incorporatingaperspectivethat

extendsto2050(Actionn°6

Reciprocally,NEcpsshouldalsointegrateadetailedandbindingnetworkdevelopment

planrequiredtoachievethenationalenergyandclimatetargets·(Actionn°7)

TheefcientnationalimplementationofnetworkdevelopmentplansforDSOS,asoutlined

inarticle32(3)and(4)oftheElectricityDirectiveiscrucial.Inadditiontothenecessary

evaluationofgridextensiontheseplansbylawshouldalsoconsidercomplementary

solutionstoreinforcements，includinginfrastructuredigitalisationandlexiblity

deployment.Foreachnetworkdevelopmentcase,Dsoswillhavetoanalysethefeasibility

andcost-efectivenessofanylexibilitysolution.Dsoswilcomparethecurrentcapacity

ofanassetorassetsonthenetworkwiththeprojectedloadinthefuture.Therefore,when

theloadexceedsthecapacityoftheassetorassets,theDsocandeterminewhenand

whatintervention(intheformofexibilityprocurementorconventionalreinforcement)is

requiredThecleanEnergypackageestablishesaclearrequirementformodernnetwork

6

planning，butthereisasignifcantimplementationgapandalackofmonitoringattheEU

level.(Actionn°8)

ForDsosconnectinglessthan100000connectingcustomers,forwhichthe

communicationofanetworkdevelopmentplanisnotamandatoryexercise,weencourage

aclearprioritisationofthecooperationwithlocalpublicauthorities-soasitstandsfor

unbundledDSOsforsettingupthelocalplanning

Exchangeofbestpracticesandknowledgesharing，fortechnicalgrounds,betweenDSOS

fordraftingthenetworkdevelopmentplansisencouragedandmaybefacilitatedbythe

EUDSOEntity.(Actionn°9)

2.secureandmobilisethenecessaryfinancialcapabilities

EuropeanDsoswillencounteramassiveneedforinvestmenttoenabletheEnergy

Transitionandensurethesecurityofsupplyandautomationofthedistributiongrids.

privatecapitalsremainthemainroute,whileEufundingcanbeseenasacomplementary

tooltofurthertriggerinvestmentsinprojectsandalleviatethepotentialincreaseoftariffs

whichcouldresultfromenhancedinvestments.Eufundingcouldalsoattractandcatalyse

furtherfundingfromtheprivatesectorandothernationalpublicsectorstakeholders

(publicinvestmentbank,etc.)

Astableandpredictableregulatoryenvironmentisneededtoattractfundingtothe

neededdistributioninvestments.AnychangesintheEuropeanandnationalregulations

shallbesubjecttoasufficientimpactassessment,takingalsointoaccounttheforeseen

effectontheinvestingenvironmentandfundingpossibilities.

ManyEufundsexisttodayunderdifferentforms,butitisobservedthatDsoneedsarenot

fullyconsideredgiventheverylimitedcurrentallocationoffundstoprojectsledbyDSOS.

TheTEN-ERegulation,whichprovidestheframeworkforidentifyingprojectsofcommon

Interest(pcl)andspecifcconditionsforbenefttingfrom"CEF-Energyfund"，wasrecently

revisednotablywiththeintenttostrengthentheroleofdecentralisedprojects.outofthe

fvenewprojectsproposedfordecentralisedenergyinfrastructure,noneofthemhas

beenretainedfortheupcoming1stlistofpclprojectsundertherevisedTEN-E

Regulation.

Additionally,muchoftheEU'sfinancialredistributionismanagedindirectly,withfunds

allocatedatthenationallevelthroughinitiativesliketheRecoveryandResilienceFacility

(RRF),RepowerEU,andtheModernisationFund.Toaddressthis,weadvocateforclearer

directivesfromtheEurpeancommissiontoMemberstatesonfundallocationwithinthe

existingvehicles,aswellasforwhennewfundingopportunitieslikeREpowerEuin2022,

ensuringthattheentirevaluechain,particularlyelectricitygrids,istakenintoaccount.

(Actionn10)

7

shareofEuropeanfundsallocatedtoDsoprojects

sourceEurelectricguideonEufnancingandfundinginstrumentsforDsoprojects

Themainobstaclesare:

-TheeligibilitycriteriaarenotsufficientlytailoredtoDsoprojects,andthe

applicationandevaluationprocessesarelengthyandresourceintensive.TO

improvethis,andwithinthecontextoftheupcomingMultiFinancialFramework

(MFF)expectedtobepublishedbytheEuropeancommissionbyJuly1,2025,we

callfor:

oTheintroductionofaprogramme,"TheDecentralisedGridFacility",tailored

tosupportdecentralisedenergyinfrastructure,withanemphasison

electricitygrids.(Actionn1)

-somenationallevelmeasuresdiscouragetheutilisationofEufunding(e.g.theNRA

deducts100%ofanyinvestmentfinancedbyEufundsfromtheRegulatoryAsset

Base(RAB)/doesnotrecognisetheinvestmentinthefrstplacei.e.fullsterilisation

offundswithregardstoRegulatoryAssetBase(RAB)andinconsequence

regulatedrevenues).Thecommissionshouldprovideclearerguidelinesto

guaranteethatregulatedbusinessesareincentivisedproperlytoapplyforfunds

andcangenuinelybenefitfromgrants,asopposedtothepresentscenariowhere

grantacquisitionsresultinfinanciallossesforcompaniesinsomeMemberstates.

Thegeneralprincipleshouldbethatthefnalproftandlessaccountofthe

(Acionn°12)

-Accesstoinformationaboutthefundingopportunitiesisdifficult.Afrststep

shouldbethecreationofaninformationtoolwith:

oalistofallexistingfundswithclearexplanationontheirpurposeandthe

potentialbeneficiaries

oalistgatheringalltheawardedgridprojectsledbyDSO(Actionn°13)

3.Ensurethebestlevelofstakeholderengagementtoaccelerateproject

authorisationanddeployment

-Gridisthenewpermitting,butgridsneedpermitsinthefirstplace.

LegislatorsarefullyawareoftheneedtobreakdownadministrativehurdlesforEU

decarbonisationandpermittingprocedures.Theinitiativesundertakentospeedup

permittingforrenewablegenerationintherevisionoftheRenewableEnergyDirective

8

(RED)andthecounci'SRegulationlayingdownaframeworktoacceleratethedeployment

ofrenewableenergyarewelcome.However,theireffectivenesshingesonsimilar

proposalswithexplicitandclearreferencestogridpermitting，whichshouldencompass

(Action14)

Dsosfaceunnecessarydiffcultiesinthepermittingprocessduetounclearcontent

requirementsandalackofresourcesforswiftapplicationprocessingbypublicauthorities

Dsosalsofacechallengesinfulfllingandinvestigatingtheenvironmentalimpactof

projects.Improvedcooperationbetweenpublicauthoritiesandstakeholders,clearer

applicationinstructionsforgridoperatorsandamoretailoredandsimplerpermitting

processallowsforfasterprocessing(Actionsn°14andn°15).Itisimportanttofully

acknowledgeandweighinthebenefitsthatgridshaveindecarbonisingthesociety,

makinggridexpansionapriority.

Distributionnetworksshouldbenefitfromsimplifiedpermit-grantingprocesses，positive

administrativesilence，andcleardeadlinesforadministrationtodeliverpermits

Inthelong-term,aone-stop-shopshouldbeestablished,forhighvoltageprojects,and

wheresensibleoridentifedaspracticallyproblematicformediumvoltageprojectsalso.

Theone-stop-shopwouldprovideasinglecontactpointfortheentireprocessand

includeapositivesilencemechanismfornon-essentialproceduralissues.Moreoverwe

recommendestablishingaunifedframeworkforallnationaladministrationstoexpedite

administrativeproceedings.permittingsimplifcationmustnotbeunderstoodasalossof

controlbythepublicopinionorcarelessnessinensuringenvironmentaIcompliance.

communicationactionsmustbecarriedouttoensurepublicunderstandingofthe

permittingchanges(Actionn°16)

-promotingpublicunderstandingandacceptanceofthegrid

Astheexpansionofoverheadlines,undergroundcables,andsubstationsbecomemore

common,publicacceptanceandunderstandingofinfrastructureprojectsneedtogrow

butaremostprobablygoingtobechallenged.Thiscanbeachievedthroughgreater

transparencyaboutthegrid'srole,thebenefttsofitsdevelopment,thestatusofavailable

gridcapacity,andongoingprojectsinthesurroundingarea(Actionn°17)

-providingthesuffcientvisibilitytostakeholdersongridstatusiskeyforasuccessful

Enhancingtransparencyregardinggridcongestioncanalsohelpconnectstakeholdersto

consideralternativelocationswithgreatergridcapacityThis,inturn,canreduce

connectiontimes,asthereisnoneedforextensivegridinvestmentsbeforethe

capacitymapsandothersolutionslike"ad-hocdigitalconnectionchecks"forparties

seekingaconnectioncurrentlydevelopedbyDsosaretoolsthatcanservethese

purposes.Fortheuseofthesetools,standardisingtheinformationcategory,granularity,

TheyshouldbegeneralisedtoallDsosinEurope.(Actionn°

Furthermore,offeringgridusersvisibilityintothestatusoftheirconnectionrequestiskey.

Thiscanbeachievedthroughdigitalportals,eitherfromrelevantpublicauthoritiesor

DSOS,totrackprogressatdifferentstepsoftheconnectionprocedure,withspecifed

9

Finally,involvingrelevantstakeholderscloselyintheplanningprocessiskeytoimprovethe

accuracyofDsoforecast.ThisincludesTSOS,energyserviceproviders,generators,and

publicauthorities.Mandatorypublicationandconsultationofthenetworkdevelopment

planisessential(viaaDsoorNRAwebsiteforinstance)tohelpthegriduserstobetter

identifyopportunities(e.g.exibilityassets).Theinvolvementofstakeholdersinthe

networkplansisalsocrucialforexibilitymappingpurposes.Theplansmustbeabasisfor

Dsostoexpresstheirlexibilityneeds,andmarketplayersoractivecustomerscould

lev