Czech grid operator ČEPS receives EU grant of more than €1m for grid development

The operator of the Czech transmission system, ČEPS, has received a grant of more than one million euros under the European Commission’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme. This was stated in the company’s press release yesterday.

The grant will be used to prepare project documentation and construct the Vernéřov – Vítkov and Vítkov – Přeštice lines in western Bohemia, increasing supply reliability, particularly in connection with the planned construction of a wind farm and other renewable energy sources in the Karlovy Vary region.

“I consider securing this grant a major success, because there are around 250 strategic projects of similar importance in Europe, while the construction of gas infrastructure receives significantly greater support.”
ČEPS chairman of the board Vladimír Tošovský

The CEF programme provides grants for EU projects of common interest that contribute to ensuring the security and reliability of the transmission systems of individual Member States, as well as of the interconnected European grid.

A total of 23 European projects received support from the CEF programme – 19 for project preparation and 4 for project implementation. The amount of the contribution is around the median of the sums allocated to individual projects for preparatory studies.

“ČEPS systematically plans infrastructure development over the long term to ensure that our transmission grid is stable and contributes to the safe operation of the interconnected European energy market. However, we must also respond to changes in the energy sector, particularly with regard to the growth of renewable energy sources and increasing decentralisation.”
Vladimír Tošovský

This is the second grant awarded to ČEPS by the European Union; the first also concerned construction of the Vernéřov – Vítkov line.