Key decision makers involved in planning, developing and financing energy infrastructure, policy makers, energy regulators, network operators and financing institutions gathered in Brussels for a workshop on ensuring supply and competitiveness through energy infrastructure connectivity. The workshop featured speakers from DG NEAR and INOGATE, as well as Country Coordinators who presented the perspectives of Armenia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The workshop discussed current EU practices in developing a new energy interconnection infrastructure within the framework of the EU’s own goals for 10% interconnectivity by the year 2020. Speakers from INOGATE Partner Countries (PC) shared their own good examples, presenting their existing procedures and tools and identifying and discussing the main gaps and hurdles that must be overcome for interconnecting their energy supplies. Security of supply, policy, regulation and financing for the development of an energy infrastructure were the main topics of discussion, with electricity interconnectivity among PCs discussed as a preparation for the EaP meeting. The agenda included existing and planned electricity interconnections, project identification and appraisal, financing and regulation, as well as the hurdles for investment and how stakeholders could be involved and share costs.

Casting a light on their own gaps and barriers hindering development of energy infrastructure moved PCs towards discussing their own experience and lessons in planning for security of supply and the development of an energy interconnection infrastructure.

Delegates discussed EU practice in terms of both EU and their own legal and regulatory frameworks for interconnection and, at the same time, discussed related social and environmental issues and the need to ensure broad public acceptance.

In the long term, the energy planning process will ensure that energy policies and strategies are defined; that dialogue between neighbouring countries will provide a balanced view of economic benefits against the pursuit of energy independence; that energy policies will become a process of consultation and that energy policy options will be quantified and assessed in terms of their expected impact.

On the photo: Ms. Violeta Kogolniccanu, Energy Community Secretariat, presents to the participants the projects of Energy Community interest