CESEC: cross-border infrastructure key to deliver energy security
Growing energy demand, more renewable capacity, volatile prices and the phase-out of Russian gas make regional cooperation on infrastructure urgent for Europe's energy security, the Energy Community Secretariat told CESEC energy ministers today.
Speaking at the Ministerial meeting of the High-Level Group on Central and South-East European Energy Connectivity (CESEC) in Zagreb, Director Artur Lorkowski said common rules and regional cooperation will be key to ensuring that utilisation of existing infrastructure is maximised and new projects are properly planned. New power links for Ukraine and Moldova with the EU is an urgent priority.
"This year has put the region's access to affordable energy at risk, and with its economies, public services and public trust," Lorkowski emphasised. "Through energy market integration, we mitigate this risk and construct a foundation on which everything else can stand."
As new gas interconnectors are being finalised across the region, CESEC can help remove bottlenecks so they operate under EU-aligned rules and give economies that once relied on a single supplier real alternatives. The Trans-Balkan Pipeline is an example of what this cooperation can achieve. Since October, more competitive tariffs have made the pipeline a stronger route for diversified, non-Russian gas flowing northwards.
In electricity, the Secretariat called for the more efficient usage of the existing interconnections, allowing cheaper electricity to flow across borders and making the regional system more resilient. New lines will also be needed after existing transmission capacities are fully utilised, spanning from completing the Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor to new links connecting Ukraine and Moldova to the EU.
Underpinning both gas and electricity infrastructure priorities, the Secretariat stressed that only full legal and regulatory alignment can ensure that infrastructure is used to its full potential. In gas, this means network codes fully applied at borders between the EU Member States and Energy Community Contracting Parties. In electricity, Contracting Parties need to fully adopt and implement the Electricity Integration Package, a set of EU-aligned legislation that opens the door to joining EU electricity markets before joining the bloc.
The meeting, chaired by the European Commission, also marked the extension of CESEC regional cooperation to Czechia and Poland.