The TEN-E Regulation introduced the so called “Projects of Common Interest" (PCIs). PCIs are infrastructure projects (mainly transmission and storage) which have a significant impact on the EU electrical system, and help the EU achieving its energy policy and climate objectives: ensuring affordable, secure, and sustainable energy for all citizens.
PCIs also play a key role in the long-term decarbonisation of the economy in accordance with the Paris Agreement.
The PCI label helps accelerating the planning, streamlining permit granting and thus facilitating faster commissioning of projects, which bring the highest value to the European consumer.
Every two years, the European Commission draws up a list of PCIs, starting with the first list in 2013.
In October 2019 the fourth list was published, with 149 projects: 100 for electricity (transmission and storage), 6 for smart grid deployment, 32 for gas, 6 for oil and 5 for cross-border carbon dioxide networks.
