Final BESTGRID Conference on ‘Implementing Projects of Common Interest’ reflects project experiences in Brussels

More than 90 participants assembled on 23 September for the final BESTGRID conference in Brussels. The event focused on the implementation of ‘projects of common interest’ (PCIs) and reflected both upon the political and regulatory framework and on experiences from BESTGRID pilot projects on the ground.

Input was given by the three major organisations that are involved in identifying a list of PCIs every second year: the European Commission, ACER and ENTSO-E. Their views on the roles that EU institutions should play for the implementation of PCIs were challenged by the environmental NGO EEB.

Moreover, grid operators and NGOs jointly presented four pilot projects that were implemented within the framework of BESTGRID. Their lessons learned from two and a half years of close cooperation on the ground were shared with the audience. Afterwards, four topics were discussed in separate groups: a) The relationship between biodiversity projects and public acceptance; b) financial framework for a successful cooperation of grid operators with stakeholders, such as NGOs and associations; c) possible impacts of compensation on the acceptability of projects and challenges in having different compensation schemes for interconnectors; d) overhead lines and underground cabling: criteria for the use of cable technology on the extra high voltage level.

The BESTGRID consortium thanks everyone who participated at different instances throughout the project lifespan for insightful contributions, feedback and your shared experiences!

RGI gratefully acknowledges the EU LIFE funding support:

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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.