The EU’s electricity system is undergoing a massive transformation. Renewable electricity generation must double by 2030 to address the decarbonisation challenge and reduce the EU’s dependency on imported fossil fuels. At the same time, ensuring affordability and security of supply calls for optimising this transition by leveraging the EU’s key advantages to achieve cost-effective solutions. In this regard, increasing the level of electricity trade between EU Member States enhances the resilience of the power system, optimises available resources and facilitates the efficient integration of renewable energy. Indeed, cross-zonal trade constitutes a key source of flexibility for the power system, enabling renewable energy to reach demand centres across the EU while curbing price volatility.
A highly integrated internal electricity market, facilitating the efficient exchange of electricity across borders, is crucial for the EU’s decarbonisation efforts and for guaranteeing the security of electricity supply. In a context of rapidly developing renewable technologies, the timely expansion of electricity transmission infrastructure, through both new build-out and non-wire alternatives, and the maximisation of cross-zonal trading possibilities across the EU are key to the completion of the internal market for electricity.
This report “Transmission capacities for cross-zonal trade of electricity and congestion management in the EU” published by the European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators presents a series of analyses exemplifying the importance of maximising cross-zonal trade for the well-functioning of the EU internal market for electricity. It monitors the margin of cross-zonal capacity made available for crosszonal trade in 2024, assessing the progress made and challenges encountered in implementing the minimum 70 % requirement. Where applicable, it also measures the fulfilment of the national interim requirements stemming from derogations and/or action plans. Finally, the report reflects on the on-going processes that may facilitate the implementation of the minimum 70% requirement, namely the use of remedial actions, the reinforcement of the power grid and the reconfiguration of the bidding zones in the EU.
Access the report here