EU TO SPEND BIG ON TRANSMISSION

EC confirms €9.1 billion energy plans
James Quilter, 19 October 2011 (Windpower Monthly)

"The European Commission has confirmed a €9.1 billion investment in the EU’s energy transmission networks, as part of a €50 billion infrastructure package…The 2014-20 budget plans will include new grid connections to accommodate the rapid growth of onshore and offshore wind power.

"Under the draft budget, €9.1 billion is allocated for the creation of energy priority corridors to improve the flow of electricity, gas and oil…"

The ultimate plan (click to enlarge)

"…[This is] an enormous increase on the €163 million earmarked for energy infrastructure in the current budget…[but] it was unclear how much of it would be allocated for wind energy…"

[Christian Kjaer, chief executive, European Wind Energy Association:] "While [the €9.1 billion] is a substantial increase in funding for what has been for a long time under-funded, it remains to be seen how this pot of money will be divided up between electricity, gas, oil and carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure projects…The inclusion of CCS — a technology still not commercially viable and one for which the infrastructure needs are unknown — is strange in itself."