The European Commission, ACER and RGI publish statement on high-quality regular stakeholder engagement in energy infrastructure

Published 05 June 2023

Together with the European Commission and the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), RGI argues for meaningful regular stakeholder engagement in order to account for the impacts building large infrastructure has on communities and nature.

The transition to cleaner forms of energy is a prerequisite for climate neutrality. By 2050, most of the energy consumed in the EU shall come from renewable sources. With its ‘Fit for 55/REPowerEU’ package, the EU plans to boost the share of renewable energy by 2030.

Such a target will only be delivered with an unprecedented addition of new electricity infrastructure capacity across the EU. Over the past decade, the Union has developed a dedicated infrastructure policy that lays down the rules for the timely implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects that connect Member States’ networks. Large infrastructure projects such as electricity grids are key to decarbonising the energy sector.

But building or upgrading such infrastructure may impact communities and the natural environment, both during and after construction. The trans-European energy networks (TEN-E) Regulation established minimum rules for transparency and consultations in the designing and constructing of grid projects.

However, experience has shown that there is a need to complement the legal provisions with high-quality regular stakeholder engagement to soften the impact on communities and nature and redistribute benefits to communities and the enhancement of nature protection.

The scale and speed of energy infrastructure needed to reach Europe’s ambitious clean energy targets requires meaningful stakeholder engagement to be reinforced. But what high-quality regular stakeholder engagement means? And how should we implement it? Read the full statement below to learn more.

Join the discussion on the 9th Infrastructure Forum

The Commission, ACER and RGI invite you to a fruitful discussion on these topics at the 9th Infrastructure Forum. We will have an Interactive Session on 12 June at 15:00 about “The value of working together for successful stakeholder engagement in the planning and implementation of energy infrastructure projects”.

Learn more