ACER and CEER highlighted the importance of precluding network operators from investing in potentially competitive activities and open to the possibility of granting limited exemptions to invest in market assets to get the market started, following a careful analysis of cost and benefits of the proposed investment and its impact on competition, with some requirements and restrictions to avoid any market abusive behaviours.

ACER and CEER also issued the paper Position on Revision of the Trans-European Energy Networks Regulation (TEN-E) and Infrastructure Governance,  recommending the European Commission to:

• Improve infrastructure development governance

• Focus on the principles for PCI scope

• Improve the TEN-E process

The European Commission Communication Powering a climate-neutral economy: An EU Strategy for Energy System Integration considers a new and holistic approach to infrastructure planning and operation as a key driver for decarbonisation via energy system integration. This would be achieved by, among others, reviewing the scope and governance of the Ten Years National Development Plan, as well as of the TEN-E and TEN-T regulations to support a more integrated energy system, the acceleration of investments in renewable-based district heating and cooling networks.​

​The Agency is closely following the discussion at European level on the topic of Energy ​​System Integration, given the vast economic, health and social benefits a​​nd positive externalities to be brought by its efficient and effective implementation to the European and global citizens. As such, this section will be regularly updated with the latest and most relevant findings​.

Among the main technologies:

• Combined generation of heat and power(CHP)

  • Gas CHP to produce electricity and heat, electricity CHP to produce electricity and heat, renewable energy CHP to produce electricity and heat

• Pumps

  • Electric heat pumps, heat pumps, hybrid heat pumps, absorption heat pumps

• Power-to-Heat (P2h), Power-to-Gas (P2G), Power-to-Liquid (P2L), Power-to-Cool (P2C), Power-to-Mobility (P2M)​

• Renewable energy generation assets

  • Photovoltaic, thermal ​solar, solar heating, wind, hydroelectric, bio methane, biomass, biogas, marine and oceans, hydrogen, geothermal electricity, geothermal heat

• Boilers

  • District heating/cooling

  • Electric heating

  • Heat boilers

• Storage

• Thermal storage: sensible (hot water), phase-change material (PCM), chemical reactions, heat storage

• Electricity storage (electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, home batteries, industrial batteries)

• Chemical storage

• Mechanical storage

• Waste management

  • Heat waste

  • Industrial waste CHP

  • Buildings municipal waste CHP

• Demand side response technologies

  • Electricity, gas, heating smart meters

  • Smart grids to allow load shedding/load shifting in buildings, industry and the power system

  • Smart charging that allows demand side flexibility in electrified transport

• Transport

  •  Electric vehicles, hybrid rechargeable vehicles, biofuels, synthetic gas, hydrogen, smart charging, data hubs

• Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)

• Networks

  • Electricity networks, gas (methane) networks, heat networks, thermal storage network, distributed generation and consumption networks (off-grid), hydrogen networks, blended networks, CO2 networks

• Energy efficiency technologies and measures on buildings, industries, heating and cooling sectors

  •  Lightings, insulation

​The Agency is closely following the discussion at European level on the topic of Energy ​​System Integration, given the vast economic, health and social benefits a​​nd positive externalities to be brought by its efficient and effective implementation to the European and global citizens. As such, this section will be regularly updated with the latest and most relevant findings​.​

At European Union level, the discussion on energy system integration started in 2018 with the European Commission's “Long-Term Strategy To 2050", which highlighted the need for a smart market and system integration. In June 2019, the Council of the European Union issued their “Conclusions on the future of energy systems in the Energy Union to ensure the energy transition and the achievement of energy and climate objectives towards 2030 and beyond", highlighting the key role of the energy system integration for a cost-efficient decarbonisation target, as well as the importance of citizens' participation and self-consumption via smart cities and energy communities in order to realise sector coupling.

ACER and CEER issued the Bridge Beyond 2025 Conclusion Paper in November 2019, which includes regulatory proposals for the decarbonisation and energy system integration targets.​

Following the release of the European Commission's European Union Green Deal at the end of 2019, the European Commission issued the Communication “Powering a climate-neutral economy: An EU Strategy for Energy System Integration" (July 2020), which proposes policy and legislative measures at EU level to gradually shape a new integrated energy system.

Studies and impact assessments will be carried out and contribute to the EC legislative revisions to be proposed by June 2021.​

​The Agency is following closely ​​​​​​the discussion at European level on the topic of Energy ​​System Integration, given the vast economic, health and social benefits and positive externalities to be brought by its efficient and effective implementation to the European and global citizens.  As such, this section will be regularly updated with the latest and most relevant findings​.

​ACER is looking at the issue of methane emissions primarily from the viewpoint of sustainability, as a sine qua non for any undertaking in gas infrastructure. Sustainability is one of the criteria that must be met by all projects included in the TYNDPs and in the PCI lists. To achieve the 2050 climate goals of the European Union, a balance must be found between:

• The scale of the problem and the tools to address it,

• The costs and benefits of any possible regulatory measures,

• Best industry practices, technical norms and regulation.​

​ACER's main tasks regarding trans-European gas infrastructure are performed in close cooperation with the national regulatory authorities and the ENTSOs for Electricity and  Gas. ACER monitors  the implementation of projects creating new interconnector capacity and the Union-wide network-development plans. If ACER identifies inconsistencies between those plans and their implementation, the Agency investigates and makes recommendations to the transmission system operators, regulatory authorities or other competent bodies concerned. 

Each year, promoters of projects of common interest report to ACER their progress. Based on these inputs,  ACER produces a consolidated annual report which highlights the development, construction and commissioning of the projects, as well as possible delays and difficulties in their implementation across Europe.

ACER fosters a proper assessment of the projects of common interest in terms of contribution to market integration, competition, security of supply and sustainability.

​ACER and ENTSOG are responsible for jointly drafting the Network Codes, which are adopted by the European Commission through comitology procedure as binding regulations. The European Commission is also in charge of developing specific Guidelines, after consultation with ACER and ENTSOG. The Network Codes' and Guidelines' implementation takes place nationally, while the Agency offers guidance and monitors the effectiveness of the implemented rules at European level. ACER occasionally takes individual decisions in case of disagreement between NRAs on a cross-border issue, to ensure a consistent application of the legislation.

One way to decarbonise natural gas is to find ways to produce methane from renewable resources, such as biomass or natural waste. The resulting fuel is typically biogas (a mixture of methane and other gases) or biomethane (resulting from the separation of methane from the other biogas components).

Another way to decarbonise is to replace the natural gas with a sustainably produced non-methane one. Hydrogen produced via water electrolysis with the help of electricity from renewable resources is an example.

A third way is capturing the carbon contained in the natural gas, either before its use (pre-combustion, for example by converting it in a mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide destined for storage) or post-combustion, for instance by capturing the carbon dioxide and placing it in long-term geological storage.

There are other possible ways and means to decarbonise gas apart from the examples above. Methane emissions can be eradicated or minimised by applying a host of common sense practices, such as preventing venting during the exploration and production of natural gas, prohibiting flaring (especially when natural gas is produced as “associated gas” along with liquid hydrocarbons), avoiding fugitive emissions from valves and compressor stations, and making sure that burning is not incomplete. 

Many of these “common sense” approaches apply not only to natural gas, but also to methane-containing decarbonised gases.  It is therefore important to develop and deploy the relevant regulatory tools and methods for all methane-containing gases, decarbonised or not.

Decarbonised gases are only produced and used in the European Union on a minor scale, with the bulk being biogas and biomethane. Besides, most of the natural gas is imported (ca. 80%).

The ramping up of gas decarbonisation poses thus numerous challenges, ranging from assuring that the field is level for all available technology options and pathways, to supporting innovation by the right regulation, to monitoring, reporting and verifying greenhouse gas emissions across the entire international gas supply chain, to properly defining “green gases”, to making sure that competition is fair and market integration works.

Across this broad range of issues, ACER is committed to fostering the decarbonisation of the gas sector, by tackling different aspects in its regulatory tasks.