Editorial

Dear Reader,

We hope the new year has begun on a positive note for you, filled with exciting opportunities and fresh beginnings!

The last month of 2024 was marked with two energy-related developments:

• During the first week of its new mandate, the Commission launched two new calls for proposals with a budget of €3.4 billion to accelerate the deployment of innovative decarbonisation technologies in Europe, including the manufacturing of components for renewable energy, energy storage, heat pumps and hydrogen production as well as electric vehicles batteries. It is also launched the second auction of the European Hydrogen Bank to accelerate the production of renewable hydrogen in the European Economic Area (EEA) with a budget of €1.2 billion from EU funds, plus over €700 million from three Member States. Both calls for proposals and the auction are financed by the Innovation Fund, using revenues from the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS).
• The first Projects of Energy Community Interest (PECIs) have been adopted at the Energy Community Ministerial Council in Vienna. Comprising 5 electricity and 1 storage project involving 7 Energy Community members (Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Kosovo*), this first PECI list follows the application of the Trans-European Network for Energy (TEN-E) Regulation in the Energy Community (with certain adaptations) since the end of last year and comes at the end of a rigorous selection process. In addition, the meeting reaffirmed the intention to propose an update to the Decarbonisation Roadmap (including the commitment to climate neutrality by 2050), with a view to possible adoption next year.

On the ID-E side, what a year it’s been! In a span of 12 months, we have organised or developed:

• 6 rounds of WG meetings focusing on the development of pilot schemes across the energy value chain and on EU programmes (LIFE, CEF-E, InvestEU, ERDF, Innovation Fund).
• 5 ID-E Studies on financial instruments and schemes in:
  • Energy Production
  • Transmission and Distribution
  • Energy Storage
  • Heating and Cooling
  • Services and Prosumers
• 10 summary reports on key barriers to investments and the availability of financial instruments, and presenting the pilot mechanisms discussed in each Working Group.
• 2 ID-E Community Webinars on the Net-Zero Industry Act and Wind Action Plan. The recordings are available on the ENER Youtube Channel.
• 2 Steering Committees, in May and October, which have set the strategic vision of the ID-E.
• A succesful second ID-E Plenary meeting in January that attracted more than 190 participants and 20 speakers who shared insights on the most pressing energy investments and financing issues, looking at topics such as EU energy policy initiatives (REPowerEU, Wind Power Action Plan, Grid Action Plan), opportunities and challenges for hydrogen and batteries, the role of cities and energy communities in the decarbonisation of energy, as well as updates from the Working Groups on the ongoing work in designing pilot financial instruments across the different segments of the energy value chain.

What to expect and reasons to look forward to the start of 2025?

• The 3rd edition of the ID-E Plenary will take place on Thursday 27 February 2025 at Renaissance Hotel in Brussels and will also be streamed online. Register here! The agenda will be shared this month!
• ID-E Webinar Series #8 on the topic of the SET Plan will be organised in January. Further details will be shared very soon.
• Round 16 of WG meetings will spread over January and February.

Yours truly,

The Editor