With nine partners, comprised of European non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and transmission system operators (TSOs) and a research institute, the EU-funded BESTGRID project worked towards modernising and expanding the European electricity grid for the integration of a growing share of electricity from renewable sources.
Launched in April 2013, BESTGRID was made up of five pilot projects located in Belgium, Germany and the UK. During the project, TSOs and NGOs worked together to improve local and public acceptance for grid development processes. Objectives of the project were to enhance transparency and public participation, to speed up permitting procedures by proactively addressing or even surpassing environmental protection standards, and to encourage the implementation of constructive public engagement in permitting procedures for European energy infrastructure “projects of common interest” (PCIs).
Jointly, partners learned about how to implement better practice when developing the grid. Three of the pilot projects had a stronger focus on designing and testing new activities, while the fourth and fifth focused on evaluating activities that had already been developed and implemented. The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) lent support by evaluating the activities from a scientific perspective.
Stephanie Bätjer
Director - Communication
RGI gratefully acknowledges the EU LIFE funding support:
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the LIFE Programme. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
