Today, ACER publishes its Opinion on the Integrated Model report for EU electricity, gas and hydrogen infrastructure planning, submitted in October 2025 by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) and for Gas (ENTSOG) and prepared with support from the European Network of Network Operators for Hydrogen (ENNOH).

The Trans-European Energy Infrastructure (TEN-E) Regulation requires ENTSO-E and ENTSOG to jointly develop a consistent and progressively integrated model to support coordinated infrastructure planning across the three sectors (electricity, gas and hydrogen), and underpin future EU-level Ten-Year Network Development Plans (TYNDPs).

Why is an integrated modelling framework needed for EU energy infrastructure planning?

Europe’s energy transition is increasingly blurring the boundaries between electricity, gas and hydrogen systems. Decisions in one sector directly affect infrastructure needs and costs in the others. To address this, EU law requires a shift from isolated, single-sector planning towards more coherent sectoral integration of the modelling governance, processes, tools and data used in electricity, gas and hydrogen network planning.

Such an integrated modelling framework aims to ensure that EU infrastructure plans are based on consistent assumptions, aligned methodologies and comparable cross-sector assessments. It should future-proof planning and inform project-level investment decisions from a system-wide perspective.

What does ACER say about the proposed integrated modelling framework for energy infrastructure planning?

ACER’s Opinion assesses whether the ENTSOs’ submission provides a sufficiently robust basis for more coherent, cross-sector infrastructure planning at EU level.

The report is a useful starting point, with some progress beyond joint scenario development, including the creation of a dedicated cross-sector working group with balanced representation across the three sectors.

However, ACER finds the report does not clarify how the integrated modelling framework will contribute to greater consistency and integration of EU infrastructure planning through concrete milestones. The report falls short in the following areas:

• Cross-sector integration requirements are unclear, leaving implementation discretionary.
• Key integration steps are deferred to a long-term roadmap with vague timelines and under-ambitious actions.
• Stakeholder consultation was limited, with key elements excluded (draft report and roadmap).

As a result, it remains unclear whether the proposed framework will deliver practical improvements in infrastructure needs assessments, investment decision-making or system-wide cost optimisation.

What does ACER recommend?

For better EU infrastructure planning, ACER calls on ENTSO-E and ENTSOG, together with ENNOH, to be more ambitious in their approach to integrated modelling:

• Clearly define assumptions, data and methodologies to be applied consistently across sectors.
• Identify which planning steps require joint cross-sector assessment and which can remain sector-specific.
• Apply shared reference networks and indicators in project-level cost-benefit analyses (CBAs).
• Strengthen consistency in identifying infrastructure gaps.
• Ensure cross-sector needs assessments and harmonised CBA pilots are conducted within the TYNDP 2028 cycle.
• Update the roadmap with more ambitious actions and firmer timelines.
• Conduct a more thorough public consultation on the revised model and roadmap.

ACER expects that consistency in input, assumptions and methodology is already applied in TYNDP 2028, even if some deliverables remain sector-specific.

What are the next steps?

ACER expects ENTSO-E and ENTSOG to implement these recommendations before submitting the report to the European Commission for approval. ACER calls for early and meaningful stakeholder engagement as the integrated modelling framework evolves.

ACER issues today its guidance on the information to be voluntarily submitted for the monitoring of operational reliability performance indicators related to cybersecurity in the electricity sector, under the Cybersecurity Network Code. 

Who is this guidance for?

This guidance is addressed to stakeholders in the electricity sector, including transmission and distribution system operators (TSOs and DSOs), generators, organised markets, nominated electricity market operators (NEMOs) and balancing responsible parties, as well as providers of critical information and communication technology (ICT) services and managed security services.

Why does it matter?

The operational reliability performance indicators for cybersecurity will measure how effectively electricity sector companies protect their digital systems and mitigate cybersecurity risks to cross-border electricity flows. They will track statistical data on high and critical-impact cyber-attacks, reportable cyber-threats and exploited unpatched vulnerabilities.

By submitting the requested data, stakeholders will allow ACER to monitor trends and assess how cybersecurity performance evolves across the EU electricity sector. 

What information is ACER requesting?

ACER is requesting the following statistical information, as defined by the operational reliability performance indicators listed in the guidance:

• annual number of reportable cyber threats;
• annual number of reportable cyber-attacks; and
• annual number of exploited unpatched (zero day) vulnerabilities.

What’s the timeline to submit the information?

Starting in 2027, ACER will open a submission window once every three years. In the first submission window in 2027, ACER will request data for 2026. From 2030 onwards, each submission will cover the three preceding years.

Unless communicated otherwise, the submission window will be open each reporting year from 15 January to 1 March. 

How will the information be submitted?

To facilitate data collection, ACER will provide access to a secure online tool. More detailed instructions will be made available prior to the first submission window.

What are the next steps? 

Looking ahead, ACER will use this collected data (after careful aggregation to protect sensitive information) as an input to its triannual reporting, supporting EU-level monitoring and informing future efforts to strengthen the EU cyber resilience.

Mr Bogdan Chirițoiu takes over as the new Chair of the Administrative Board of the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), and  Mr Tomasz Dąbrowski as the Vice-Chair. 

They were elected by consensus by the Administrative Board on 11 December 2025. The term of office of the ACER Administrative Board Chair and Vice-Chair is two years, renewable once, effective from 22 January 2026.

Mr Volker Zuleger, ACER Director ad interim, welcomed Mr Chirițoiu and Mr Dąbrowski to their new roles. He pointed to their understanding of oversight and governance issues of an EU agency, gained from serving as members of the ACER Administrative Board (and in Mr Chirițoiu’s case as Vice-Chair). Such first-hand experiences of ACER will be invaluable to the Administrative Board at a time of significant change in ACER’s leadership. An immediate task is the recruitment of the new ACER Director (in 2026) to head up and run the EU Agency. 

Mr Zuleger expressed his deep appreciation to the outgoing Administrative Board Chair, Ms Edit Herczog, for her commitment as Chair for the past 2 years and previously as the Vice-Chair. 

Mr Chirițoiu is Chairman of the Romanian Competition Council, the National Competition Authority since 2009. He holds a PhD in Economics. His professional career includes posts as State Councillor and as a university lecturer.

Mr Dąbrowski is Head of Legal Services at Zarządca Rozliczeń S.A., the state agency in charge of disbursement of payments under the state aid schemes for the power sector in Poland. He has deep knowledge of the energy sector including having served in Poland’s Ministry of Energy.

Changes in the Administrative Board Members and Alternates

In addition to Ms Herczog, the longstanding Board member Mr Jurij Spiridonovs and alternate member Ms Britta Thomsen are leaving the Board, while the mandate of alternate member Mr Attila Nyikos is also coming to an end. The European Parliament has appointed Ms Josianne Cutajar as a new member and Mr Markus Pieper as an alternate; their mandate started on 22 January 2026. 

The Council of the EU appointed two members and three alternates. It reappointed Mr Václav Bartuška as a member for a second four-year term, as well as Mr Atanas Georgiev and Mr Boris Makšijan as alternate members for a second term. The Council also appointed Mr Jorge Sousa as a member and Mr Oliver Púček as an alternate member for the first time. Their mandates start on 28 January 2026.

ACER welcomes the Administrative Board Chair and Vice-Chair and new members/alternates while paying tribute to the outgoing ones.

More on ACER’s Administrative Board

The Administrative Board is ACER’s governing body. It appoints its main bodies, including the Director, adopts the annual work programme and its multi-annual programme. It also plays a central role in establishing the Agency’s budget.

The Administrative Board is composed of 9 members and 9 alternates, appointed by the European institutions. 2 members are appointed by the European Commission, 2 by the European Parliament and 5 by the Council of the European Union (and the same composition for the alternates).

Read more about ACER’s Administrative Board Members and Alternates.

For more on ACER governance and the roles of the different bodies, see the Agency's organisation and bodies.

 

Today, ACER publishes a position paper introducing output performance indicators to measure the performance of grid-enhancing technologies in electricity transmission.

Europe’s energy transition is driving rapid growth in electricity demand and renewable generation, putting increasing pressure on transmission networks. While grid expansion remains key, making better use of existing infrastructure through innovative operational practices, digitalisation and grid-enhancing technologies is equally important, as smart solutions of transmission system operators (TSOs) can often deliver additional capacity faster and at a lower cost.

Why are transmission output performance indicators needed?

EU legislation already requires national regulators to monitor the development of smart electricity grids. To ensure smart grid solutions deliver benefits, regulators need ways to assess their real-world performance. 

The June 2025 Copenhagen Infrastructure Forum invited ACER, together with the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) and other stakeholders, to develop a common approach for assessing the performance of smart-grid solutions at transmission level.

In parallel, the Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER) publishes today its report on indicators to measure performance at distribution level.

Assessing transmission smart grid performance

Transmission smart grid infrastructure can be assessed using two types of indicators:

• input, which describe what has been implemented; and
• output, which monitor what has been achieved.

ACER found that few EU countries currently systematically measure how grid-enhancing technologies perform in practice, making it difficult to assess their effectiveness. This ACER paper addresses this gap. It builds a foundation for more consistent and comparable assessments of TSO performance across Europe.

What does ACER recommend?

ACER proposes three output indicators for regulators to assess whether grid-enhancing technologies in transmission grids deliver improvements and cost benefits:

• performance of existing transmission assets in real-time system operations,
• performance of operational security; and
• grid expansion performance.

These performance indicators address grid capacity gains, operational-security cost reductions and cost-efficient alternatives to conventional grid expansion. By capturing their actual performance, these output indicators help ensure that innovative approaches truly unlock grid capacity and reduce system costs. 

Beyond the three proposed output indicators, the paper also highlights complementary areas of monitoring that can enhance regulatory insight.

• ACER recommendation for national regulators: Incorporate the proposed indicators as a common framework for monitoring smart-grid performance at transmission level, allowing a two- to three-year transition period for data collection, process setup and methodological refinement.
• ACER recommendation for transmission system operators: Develop complementary input indicators reflecting the availability of tools that influence the proposed output indicators, with ENTSO-E providing guidance and reference mappings to ensure consistency across the EU.

What are the next steps?

Implementation should follow a phased, learning-oriented approach, starting with national testing of the indicators. A two- to three-year transition period will allow regulators to adjust them where needed as they are further developed and implemented.

Over time, the accumulated data and shared experience can support more systematic assessment of grid performance and innovation across Europe.

ACER has released its multi-annual programming document 2026-2028, outlining its strategic goals and priorities for the coming years, including its 2026 work programme.

Which are ACER’s priorities for 2026-2028?

ACER will continue its work on:

• the integration of EU energy markets;
• infrastructure, flexibility needs and security of supply;
• the integrity and transparency of the EU’s wholesale energy markets; and
• longer-term regulatory challenges (e.g. increasing price and geopolitical volatility, Russian gas phase out).

In 2026, ACER’s work will focus on the following priorities:

• REMIT framework to protect against market manipulation: ACER will continue to ensure that REMIT is fully implemented and hence reinforce trust that prices set in Europe’s wholesale energy markets reflect competitive forces and the underlying market fundamentals. The Implementing Regulation and delegated acts related to REMIT II will broaden the scope of market surveillance and the level of transparency of energy markets, while ACER will progressively conduct cross-border investigations, complementing national regulatory authorities’ work.
• Cross-border trade and energy security: ACER will support amendments to network codes for cross-border electricity and gas trade. In line with REPowerEU, ACER will monitor the phase-out of Russian gas imports to the EU, and contribute to key discussions on energy infrastructure, security of supply and flexibility.
• Market monitoring: ACER will continue monitoring the energy sector, identifying challenges and opportunities to increase consumer benefits from the integrated EU energy market.

The document was adopted on 12 December 2025 by ACER's Administrative Board, following the favourable opinion of the Agency's Board of Regulators.

Access previous editions.

ACER published its report on the implementation of the inter-transmission system operators compensation mechanism (ITC) for 2024. 

ACER issues these yearly monitoring reports since 2012, as mandated by the Commission’s Regulation. 

What is the ITC mechanism?

The inter-transmission system operators compensation (ITC) mechanism, managed by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), compensates transmission system operators (TSOs) for the costs of hosting cross-border flows on their networks (including costs from power losses and infrastructure investments).

The mechanism works through the ITC fund: participating TSOs both contribute and receive money from it, depending on how much electricity they import, export and transmit across their national borders. The aim of the mechanism is to ensure that costs and benefits are fairly shared among the TSOs.

The ITC mechanism currently includes 36 TSOs from across the EU and neighbouring countries, including the Ukrainian TSO Ukrenergo, who officially joined the ITC agreement in July 2024.

What are the key findings for 2024? 

• After increasing significantly in 2022 and 2023, the ITC fund fell from €1.14 billion in 2023 to €879.9 million in 2024, mostly due to a decrease in electricity wholesale prices (although these remain well above pre-crisis levels).
• As a result of lower wholesale prices, most TSOs (28 out of 36) saw lower loss costs compared to 2023. On average, weighted loss costs fell 28% to 145.97 €/MWh.
• As in previous years, the cost of losses varied widely among EU ITC parties, ranging from 63 to 259 €/MWh. Actual electricity losses also differed significantly across countries.
• ACER finds that the ITC mechanism in 2024 generally complies with EU legal requirements. However, it recommends further methodological improvements, in line with its Recommendation on the treatment of losses (2023), including calculating loss volumes in more detail and using actual loss costs.

What are the next steps?

ACER is currently reviewing existing EU mechanisms for sharing the costs and benefits of electricity network infrastructure arising from cross-border trade, including the ITC mechanism. The aim is to better reflect the EU-wide benefits of the grid and to facilitate infrastructure investments that extend beyond national interests and needs. The findings of this exercise will feed into an ACER policy paper in 2026.

Access all ACER ITC monitoring reports.