PCIs are cross-border infrastructure projects considered crucial to developing energy markets in the EU. They benefit from streamlined permitting and regulatory procedures, and become eligible for EU financial support from the ‘Connecting Europe’ financing facility.
The latest list – the sixth – excludes fossil projects and is intended to play a major role in enabling energy system integration and the decarbonisation of EU industry.
Hydrogen corridors
The new list of PCIs includes a number of hydrogen interconnectors between member states, including undersea pipelines across the Baltic Sea. Hydrogen ‘corridors’ are proposed between Italy, Austria and Germany; between Portugal, Spain, France and Germany; between Germany and France; and from Ukraine to Slovakia, Czech, Austria and Germany.
Several electrolyser projects are also included: five in Spain, five in France, three in the Netherlands and two each in Denmark and Germany.
The list includes six hydrogen storage sites – three in Germany (Salthy, Harsefeld and Gronau-Epe), one in France (GeoH2) and two in Spain – and ammonia reception facilities in France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
The PCI list will be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council, which have two months to accept or reject it.
Announcing the list, Kadri Simson, commissioner for energy, said the hydrogen and electrolyser projects “will enable the export and transit flows of renewable hydrogen to neighbouring member states and allow major industries to decarbonise and stay in the EU”.
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