Expansion of cross-border transmission capacity in Europe is not progressing fast enough

Europe’s efforts to maximise cross-border transmission capacity available for trading are crucial to market integration, according to a report by the European regulator ACER. The report highlights the importance of meeting the target of making 70% of cross-border capacity available to the market, as well as the need for improved monitoring to assess progress. Progress towards this target has been slow, the report says, and not all Member States have recorded improvements.

The ACER report (of the European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators) assesses progress in maximising cross-border capacity in 2022 and its role in achieving the EU’s energy objectives and market integration. The report stresses that maximising access to capacity across bidding zones is essential for the energy transition and meeting renewable energy targets.

EU rules require transmission system operators to make at least 70% of cross-border transmission capacity available for trading by the end of 2025. ACER’s task is to monitor how Member States are progressing towards this 70% target.