L 152/50
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
3.6.2022
addressed.
In particular, offshore infrastructure planning should move away from the project-by-project approach towards a coordinated comprehensive approach ensuring the sustainable development of integrated offshore grids in line with the offshore renewable potential of each sea basin, environmental protection and other uses of the sea.
There should be an approach based on voluntary cooperation between Member States.
Member States should remain responsible for approving the projects of common interest which are related to their territory and the related costs.
(23)
Relevant Member States should be able to assess the benefits and costs of the priority offshore grid corridors for renewable energy and carry out a preliminary cost-sharing analysis at priority offshore grid corridor level to underpin joint political commitments for offshore renewable energy development.
The Commission, together with the Member States and the relevant transmission system operators (TSOs) and national regulatory authorities, should develop guidance for a specific cost-benefit and cost-sharing for the deployment of the integrated offshore network development plans which should enable Member States to carry out an adequate assessment.
(24)
The Union-wide ten-year network development plan process as basis for the identification of projects of common interest in the categories of electricity and gas has proven to be effective.
However, while the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (the ‘ENTSO for Electricity’), the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (the ‘ENTSO for Gas’) and TSOs have an important role to play in the process, more scrutiny is required, in particular as regards defining the scenarios for the future, identifying long-term infrastructure gaps and bottlenecks and assessing individual projects, to enhance trust in the process.
Therefore, due to the need for independent validation, the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (the ‘Agency’) and the Commission should have an increased role in the process, including in the process for drawing up the Union-wide ten-year network development plans pursuant to Regulations (EC) No 715/2009 (14) and (EU) 2019/943 (15) of the European Parliament and of the Council.
The Union-wide ten-year network development plan process should benefit from the objective, science-based input from an independent scientific body such as the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change and should be organised in the most effective manner.
(25)
In carrying out their tasks preceding the adoption of the Union-wide ten-year network development plans, the ENTSO for Electricity and ENTSO for Gas should conduct an extensive consultation process involving all relevant stakeholders.
The consultation should be open and transparent and should be organised in a timely manner to allow for stakeholders’ feedback in the preparation of key phases of the Union-wide ten-year network development plans, such as the scenario development, infrastructure gaps identification and the cost-benefit analysis methodology for project assessment.
The ENTSO for Electricity and the ENTSO for Gas should give due consideration to the input received from stakeholders during consultations and should explain how they took that input into account.
(26)
In line with the conclusions of the 2020 Energy Infrastructure Forum, it is necessary to ensure that all relevant sectors, such as gas, electricity, and transport, are considered in an integrated perspective in the planning processes of all onshore and offshore, transmission and distribution infrastructure.
In order to comply with the Paris Agreement and to achieve the Union’s 2030 climate objectives, the 2040 offshore energy development objectives, and in line with the Union’s objective to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest, trans-European energy networks framework should rely on a smarter, more integrated, long-term and optimised ‘one energy system’ view through deployment of a framework that enables greater coordination of infrastructure planning across various sectors and creates an opportunity to optimally integrate various coupling solutions involving various network elements between various infrastructures.
This should be secured by developing a progressively integrated model that enables consistency between single-sector methodologies based on common assumptions and reflects interdependencies.
(14) Regulation (EC) No 715/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 on conditions for access to the natural gas transmission networks and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1775/2005 (OJ L 211, 14.8.2009, p. 36).
(15) Regulation (EU) 2019/943 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 on the internal market for electricity (OJ L 158, 14.6.2019, p. 54).